


How to Guess a Robin's Identity

by RedRobyn2



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series), Teen Titans - All Media Types, Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: BAMF Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson Needs a Hug, Dick Grayson is Not Okay, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt Dick Grayson, Hurt/Comfort, Protective Bruce Wayne, Protective Team, Protective Wally West, Team Bonding, Team Fluff, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-12 04:02:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 51
Words: 117,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28629255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedRobyn2/pseuds/RedRobyn2
Summary: When Batman gives his okay to let Robin tell the team about his identity Robin takes full advantage of it, in the form of games and trolling. A story about him growing up which also include him meeting the Justice League when he's six, games, a hyper Robin, young Kid Flash and Speedy and the team finding about all his secrets. Will have Bat Family, Teen Titans and Justice League.Lots of fun, fluff, angst and bonding.
Relationships: Artemis Crock & Dick Grayson & Kaldur'ahm & Kon-El | Conner Kent & M'gann M'orzz & Wally West, Batfamily Members & Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson & Everyone, Dick Grayson & Roy Harper & Wally West, Dick Grayson & Teen Titans, Dick Grayson & The Team (Young Justice), Dick Grayson & Wally West, Dick Grayson & Wolf
Comments: 9
Kudos: 166





	1. Meeting Superman

**Author's Note:**

> Hello AO3,  
> So this story is actually old and posted originally on ff.net and Wattpad but I have finally decided to fix spelling mistakes and put it up on A03, Yay! This means it should be updated pretty quickly.  
> So important things to know: Robin was taken in at age of 6 (not 8). It is a slight alternate universe. Starts off as one-shots but they all connect. I'm going off what I remember and some stuff I know so sorry if everything isn't completely canon (AU).   
> After season 1 (in this story) Robin and Batman fought and he ran off to form Teen Titans before returning later with some like Beast Boy coming along for the ride (that will be important later).  
> It starts of with him meeting the league, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Kid Flash and Speedy then goes into Batman telling Robin he can tell his team his identity as long as they figure it out themselves which results in him giving them clues, finding out stuff about him and major trolling. Then goes into things later on in the seasons and gets a bit more angsty.  
> I think that's all. So please enjoy, sorry for any mistakes and (the inevitable) OOCness and I own nothing.  
> (Also I wrote the first chapters like 5 years ago so I have improved since then (hopefully) and chapters will get longer i promise).  
> Robyn

When Clark Kent first heard of Bruce Wayne taking in an orphaned circus kid he thought the media had gone wild with rumours. Again.

When Superman heard the rumours about Batman getting a sidekick, some kind of bird - Sparrow? Crow? No, Robin! He started to get suspicious.

After all both Bruce and Batman gaining a kid, that could not in anyway be a coincidence. So he decided to investigate. Which unfortunately meant going to Gotham; which the Dark Night protected; who hated metahuman heroes in his city (something about already having enough crazies).

So yeah maybe not his best plan.

Superman searched high and low through all the dark streets and alley ways. Wow was Gotham a dark and crime ridden city. A faint thud came from behind him, he quickly spun around only to face the very person he had come to see.

Batman. Yay. (Can you hear the sarcasm? Why was he doing this again? Oh yeah, tiny child sidekick).

"What are you doing in my city? You know the rules, no metahumans in Gotham." The Dark Night grunted sounding like he wanted to shove some kryptonite up a place where the sun doesn't shine. Superman was honestly a little impressed, that was the most he had heard the Bat speak at one time in ages, it was usually all grunts or 'no'.

"I came to see if the rumours were true." The blue boy scout announced trying to sound brave. He ha planned to continue when the Bat seemed unlikely to say anything but was interrupted by another dull thud. It came from behind Batman as a shadowy figure jumped down from the same dark roof top the Bat had come from.

"Hey Bats, who's... Wait is that Superman?" The child, for he was far to small to be anything else (and god alive he was tiny) asked, sounding as if he already knew the answer to his question.

"Superman, meet my partner Robin...Robin this is -"

"Superman AKA Clark Kent." Robin cut through confirming his previous theory.

Batman turned to look at the boy, Robin.

"Have you been hacking my files again?"

"Nah, I just hacked the Justice League's." Sounding as if he did this everyday. "You really need to upgrade your system it was easy to hack into."

Wait... did this kid, who seriously couldn't be older than seven (and that was a stretch), have hacked into the Justice League's systems! The files which were very well protected. Batman simply gave a small almost unnoticeable sigh, yet to Robin he gave a hidden smile saying he was proud of him.

"Bruce... how could you? He's just a kid, one of the people we protect. What gave you the insane idea to - ." He was cut off by said kid.

"Hey! I'm six and what gives you the right to shout at Bruce."

Robin stepped closer so that Superman had a clearer look at him.

He was tiny, even for a six year old, had a mop of shiny black hair and his costume was drastically different to the Dark Night's black costume. The kid was a traffic light with a cape and cute little pixie boots.

Overall the kid was plain adorable.

He also had a black mask with white covering his eyes. A domino mask was the only thing protecting his identity (not that he could really talk all he did was wear glasses as a civilian - but hey, it worked).

Batman gave a loud sigh obviously annoyed at the pair. Wow, this was the most he had heard the famously calm and grumpy Dark Knight ever sigh.

"Robin, go back to the mansion. I will join you once I have finished talking to Clark." Robin smirked "And no short cuts!" Batman shouted as the boy flipped onto a roof top and sprinted away into the darkness.

"Bruce -"

"No, listen as I will only explain once. He was a part of Haly's International Travelling Circus along with his family. His family were murdered by a mob boss called Tony Zucco, he watched them fall to their deaths from the trapeze. I took him in after three months in Gotham Juvenile Detention Centre; where he had been sent as all the orphanages in Gotham were full. He went after Zucco and found about Batman. I agreed to let him become my partner as long as he trained. I wouldn't let him come out if I knew he couldn't protect himself. You don't get to judge my decisions, it's either I help him do this or he does it himself and gets killed." At the end of his rant, Batman had a small frown upon his face. He looked like he was remembering the tragedy or thinking about what trouble the kid would get into on his own.

Superman gave a long, drawn-out sigh knowing he wouldn't win this battle. "Fine as long as he's not hurt."

"Who said I needed permission from you, now get out of my city." With a final grunt he vanished into the shadows.

As Superman flew away all he could think about was the small boy who had managed to hack into the League. He had a funny feeling he would be seeing a lot more of this kid. As he finally made it back to Metropolis Superman reached the decision that he was ok with that. The kid seemed clever and, although he didn't aprove of him fighting crime, perhaps he would be good for Bruce.


	2. Meeting Green Arrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is up - this time Green Arrow/Oliver Queen meets Robin/Dick.  
> It is set before Green Arrow takes in Roy and that's about all you need to know.  
> God it is weird re-reading something you wrote like 5 years ago.  
> Please enjoy and I will try to put up the next chapter soon.  
> Thank you for reading!  
> Robyn

All of the league had been told about Robin after Superman's encounter. He hadn't been able to shut up about the small sidekick to the famed cape crusader. And it was safe to say everyone wanted to meet this apparently talented yet cute little boy.

Green Arrow was proud to say he was the second to meet the kid, even if he met him as Oliver Queen first. It had happened during a charity gala, similar to the ones Wayne industries semi-frequently held, the difference being that it was being held in conjunction with Queen Industries.

Robin unfortunately had been dragged along as Dick in what he called a 'stupid monkey suit from Arkham'. It had been seven months since his parents had been murdered and three since he was aloud out on patrol. Only if he had Batman with him though of course. In that time as Bruce's ward he had already attended several galas and had already learnt to hate them. All the adults were either condescending, sickening sweet or stared down their nose at him.

So when he first met Oliver it had mainly been a formal interaction for all the reporters circling like vultures. Robin of course knew that this billionaire was Green Arrow protector of Star City. While GA could only guess that Dick was Robin for he knew Bruce was Batman.

Luckily after an hour of smiling and acting for the cameras Dick managed to sneak away from the main hall way into a quiet room near the back with a large window seat. Dick slowly made his way to the window seat enjoying the peace and quiet away from the music and repetitive flashing of cameras and constant questions. All these events were the same and such a drastic difference from his life before. Normally he would have tried to play sick or stay with Alfred but this gala was far too important and he had been a bit curious to meet Oliver Queen.

He knew he shouldn't technically be on his own but the whole environment was far too suffocating. He would enjoy a few minutes peace before returning t the chaos in the main hall. His few minutes of peace looking into the fading daylight above the town outside the hall were shattered as fast footsteps made their way towards him.

Dick quickly made the decision to hide in the shadows and see who it was. After all, if it was the majority of party goers or a reporter he didn't want them to notice him. He backed away and was hidden seconds before the door was gently opened to let in the co-host of the charity ball, Oliver Queen.

Queen walked quickly over to the window seat, where Dick sat moments before, and practically collapsed down onto the seat, like a puppet with his string's cut, giving out a long sigh. Deeming it safe Dick came out of the shadows towards the man on the windowsill completely oblivious to the young six year old watching him.

When Queen finally noticed him, he jumped in shock from seeing the boy seemingly appear from nowhere. Kids were normally fairly noisy but this one was completely silent in his approach.

"So your Dick Grayson, Bruce's kid?"

"Duh, and you're Oliver Queen. And I'm not a kid!"

Both just stared at each in silence, trying to inspect the other without revealing that was what they were doing. Dick achieved this to a better degree than Oliver.

"Call me Ollie, kiddo." He broke the silence which had started to edge towards being awkward.

"I'm not a kiddo either!" Dick squealed in protest. Again it went back to an awkward silence.

It was shattered by a gun shot.

Which came from the main hall. Both superheroes looked at each other and nodded, coming to an understanding, Ollie slightly reluctantly. They split up, Ollie now in Green Arrow mode ready to barge straight through the double doors as the frontal assault and Dick now dressed as Robin sneaking into the rafters as backup.

The first thing Robin did was assess the situation as Batman had taught him. There was no point jumping straight into a situation without knowing what was going on, all you would do is make the situation worse.

A group of robbers wearing black masks and holding guns had everyone surrounded. Well, that was pretty cliché, but thankfully not anything new for either heroes. They had taken any children (who had been unlucky enough to be dragged along to the event like him) and were threatening to shoot them unless the adults gave any money, jewellery or anything else worth money.

Robin was disgusted, yet not that surprised, to see that some adults were still reluctant to hand over any of their belongings despite guns being aimed at the crying kid's heads. Finally he spotted Bruce also being held at gun point and being questioned on the location of his co-host.

At that moment Green Arrow burst into the room, bow loaded with an arrow ready to shoot.

"Let them go!"

"And why should we?" The leader of the gang of robbers asked in a classic gangster voice.

Because the situation wasn't cliché enough thought Robin.

"Because I said so!" He shouted making Robin want to hit his head against a wall. Clearly these robbers weren't the brightest and Green Arrow wasn't exactly displaying the maturity you expect of someone his age.

"Ok then." The leader said smirking, which is never a good thing. He whirled around and grabbed the closest kid, aiming his gun right at her head as his arm wrapped around the kid's neck. The kid, a young girl with long blonde hair looked about twelve years old, she had red tear tracks down her face and was occasionally sniffling but had managed to control her tears. When she felt the gun pressed against her head she started shaking.

Green Arrow and the criminal were at a impasse, neither could move without the other reacting. Definitely time to interfere. Robin flipped down from the roof at that second delivering a kick to the leaders face. The shock of a small kid flipping off of the roof froze the room for a second before chaos erupted. The criminals tried to keep a control on the hostages and the civilians started to run, leaving through the doors that Green Arrow had broken open on entry. Robin and Green Arrow teamed up, working in sync to release the remaining hostages and take down the criminals.

Bruce gave Robin a look then went outside to help the civilians, knowing it would be suspicious if he disappeared too.

I think it was safe to say out of the dozen or so armed robbers, Robin knocked out more than Green Arrow (not that any one was counting).

When they had them all tied up, the pair of heroes ran knowing they had to get changed before the cops came, it would be suspicious if they couldn't find one of the hosts and the other host's ward but could find two heroes (one of which was a child).

Minutes later they were back in the quiet room with the giant window pretending to have been hiding once they, claiming they had heard the gunshots and decided to bunker down in that room. When the cops came in no one suspected anything they were just a billionaire and a different billionaire's ward cowering in fear.

Later Robin got in a lot of trouble, no patrol for a week so not aster, and Green Arrow got a glare from Bruce for putting Robin in 'unnecessary danger' which made him shudder a bit in fear. You would think that he would be used to it with the amount of times GA had worked with Batman, but parental Batman was a whole new level of scary.

But even with the scary Daddy Bats, there was one thing both Green Arrow and Superman could agree on which was, Robin was absolutely adorable. He went straight to the Watch Tower and told everyone one who would listen about his encounter and had a long discussion with Superman.


	3. Meeting Wonder Woman and Black Canary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now onto Wonder Woman and Black Canary.  
> Hope you are all enjoying so far - I promise the chapters will get better as they go on (as I mentioned I wrote them a long time ago).  
> Thank you all for reading  
> Robyn

When Bruce called Diana Prince AKA Wonder Woman asking her to babysit his ward Dick Grayson while he was at a business meeting and Alfred was in England visiting relatives, she was excited. Surprised, as Alfred was normally always around, but when she asked about that she found he was visiting an old friend in England. She was excited to meet the kid, after all she had heard plenty about the cute little boy from Superman and Green Arrow but had yet to actually meet him herself.

She arrived at the manor in the early afternoon. When Bruce opened one of the double doors he was dressed in a work suit and tie. She almost squealed. Almost. She was after all a warrior Princess.

Hidden half behind Bruce and clutching one of his trouser legs was a small six year old with black hair and unnaturally big blue eyes. He wore bright pyjamas and to add to the cute look, had a little Batman teddy in his other hand.

"Dick, this is Diana a friend... Diana this is Dick my ward." He introduced the pair.

Bruce explained be would be back in seven hours at eight o'clock.

He leaned down and whispered something in Dick's ear before giving him a quick hug. He nodded goodbye to the Amazon and walked out the door leaving the two alone.

"Are you Wonder Woman?" He asked but it sounded more like a statement.

"How did you know?" She asked curiously thinking Batman might had told him.

"Bruce didn't tell me, if that is what you are thinking. I hacked the Justice League's system. You really need to update it. I already told Superman and Batman and probably Green Arrow at some point. It was child's play to get in and see all your identities and all your other secrets."

She could only stare in shock at the little boy.

"So...What do you want to do?" She asked not really knowing what normal kids did. She had agreed to babysit him so she could meet him but had made the mistake of not actually thinking past that. She had no idea how to babysit a kid, her only contact with children was usually brief during missions when she was saving them. She wasn't normally the responsible adult.

"Can we play hide 'n' seek, Miss Diana." He looked up at her with his big blue eyes widening and his head tilting to the side, a brilliant innocent puppy dog look.

He was simply adorable.

"Of course and Dick just call me Diana."

"Ok, you count to twenty and I'll hide." He was practically bouncing up and down with excitement.

She turned around and started counting slowly wanting to give the boy lots of time to hide.

As she finished she turned around to face an empty hall and set of down the corridor believing this would be easy. She dealt with criminals as a day job, how hard could it be to look after a small child for 8 hours?

Six hours later and she could not find Dick.

She had searched every room, corridor and corner (apart from the Bat Cave which she couldn't find) and had still found nothing. She had even resorted to begging and bribery, walking through the seemingly endless corridors shouting out promises of extra homework and begging him to reveal himself before Bruce found out.

After all what kind of kid did not want to do homework? She was a brilliant babysitter (bar the whole losing the child she was supposed to be looking after thing).

But nothing worked.

And Bruce got home in an hour.

So she decided to use her last idea or rather call her last hope of surviving the wrath of Daddy Bats.

Twenty five minutes later and the door bell rang.

When Diana opened it she was faced with a worried looking Black Canary AKA Dinah Lance in civilian clothes.

She let her in thanking her for arriving so quickly. Dinah had much more experience with children than she did and was her last chance to find the missing child before Bruce got home. They both made their way into the main hall underneath the grand chandelier.

"What's the emergency?" Dinah asked, looking around. Diana had sounded panicked over the phone when she asked her to come but hadn't actually explained anything.

"I may have lost Bruce's ward Dick Grayson." She managed to reply sounding embarrassed.

"How?" Dinah asked worried for her friends life but also curious. She had also heard a lot about the boy (Neither Clark nor Oliver would shut up about it) and she really wanted to meet him. Just not like this.

"We were playing hide 'n' seek and now I cant find him."

"How long have you been playing?"

"Six and a half hours and Bruce is back in half an hour." Diana replied checking the clock.

"What!"

"Yeah."

After getting over her shock, they both started to run round the manor checking anywhere the little kid could be. Five minutes before Bruce got back and they were both back in the main hall when Dinah spotted a flash of colour up on the chandelier.

She stood up on her toes trying to get a better view. She shouted to Diana pointing up at the chandelier. "Up there, Diana!" It wasn't anywhere near the volume of her Canary scream but it was enough to alert Diana and startle Dick who had fallen asleep up on the chandelier over three hours ago when he had given up on Diana finding him.

To both women's horror the boy fell off the chandelier and their only thought was that both Bruce was going to kill them for killing his ward. But to their relief he flipped with cat-like grace and landed perfectly unharmed on his feet with a smile on his face still clutching his Batman teddy bear.

"Hi! You must be Dinah Lance AKA Black Canary."

She would only find out later about how the boy had hacked the Justice League.

She only had a moment to bathe in his adorable-ness before the door was swung open letting in a tired Bruce.

"How was your day Dick?" Asked Bruce not even looking surprised to see Dinah standing next to Diana.

The pair's only thought was 'we're dead'.

"I had lots of fun with aunt Diana and aunt Dinah, Bruce. Can they look after me again?" He asked with his blue eyes staring up at his foster dad.

The pair let out a silent breath they didn't even know they were holding and both had a warm feeling after being called aunt.

And both loved the feeling.

Bruce all but shoved the pair out the door but not before whispering just quietly enough for only the two of them to hear. "Lose my son again and I will make you wish you were never born."

Both gulped in fear.

Bruce could be very scary, even to grown heroes.

But both went away anticipating the next time they would get to see the adorable little kid.


	4. Meeting Flash

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone,  
> Hope you are all enjoying so far. In editing this chapter I actually doubled the word count at eats so hopefully it is better. As promised the chapter's will get better - I don't want to entirely re-write as I want to keep the feel of the original story so just bear with me for a while.  
> Thank you everyone for reading so far  
> Robyn

Flash felt like he could run round the world seventy times when Batman announced to the League that Robin would be sleeping over while he worked on a mission. Apparently Agent A (and who was that?) was away and he couldn't leave Robin alone for the duration of the mission (for obvious reasons - plus the kid was apparently likely to follow him into trouble). Which meant there was no one else he trusted to look after his ward - so the Watch Tower and supposedly responsible adult heroes it was. Why seventy times? He wasn't quite sure; it seemed like a better number than fifty but a hundred times was just plain tiring (trust him - he knew that from experience).

The downside to Robin coming to sleep over at the Watch Tower? So many new rules. Flash felt that if he breathed wrong he was likely to break a rule and end up on the bad side of the overprotective Bat (which was something no sane person wanted to do - and despite what some people would say, Flash was (reasonably) sane). He now understood what the others had said about Daddy Bats.

When Robin finally arrived the only ones in the Watch Tower were Flash, Martian Manhunter and Batman. The others were all on missions scattered across the world, which meant they didn't get to meet the now famous sidekick to the scary Gotham hero but it did mean they were safe from his wrath should anything go wrong.

Seeing as Martian Manhunter was busy (monitor duty, Flash was very glad it wasn't his turn - it was so boring doing very little for so long). This left Flash as the only option to babysit Robin so Batman had very, very, very reluctantly left him to look after his little baby Bird. Which Flash found a bit insulting; he actually had a nephew (who was a few years older than Robin) unlike Diana who had had very little experience with kids (and yes he had heard the story from Diana). He probably had the most kid-interaction practice in the League! Although, admittedly it had been a while since he had last seen his nephew - he should probably actually check up on the kid soon.

Robin was dressed in his traffic light uniform. A red vest, green gloves, a black cape with yellow inside and a matching yellow utility belt. He wore small little pixie boots and a black domino mask to protect his identity (not that that really mattered at the Watch Tower seeing as most of the main heroes knew who the pair were in their civilian lives already).

Flash thought the kid was absolutely adorable but would never admit it out loud to the pair. He had a feeling that the kid had likely picked up some of Batman's skills - he probably had a whole course on how to glare people into submission and Flash wasn't prepared to test it. He also figured that squealing about how adorable the kid was would mean Batman would reconsider letting him babysit (despite there being literally no other option).

He held a little Batman teddy bear in one hand (which Flash seemed to remember Wonder Woman and Black Canary mentioning during the whole babysitting/hide 'n' seek shenanigan) and his other (tiny!) hand was clutching the Caped Crusader's cape tightly like a safety blanket. That's something he would have to remember: don't play hide 'n' seek with a bat kid. He really didn't want to lose the kid in the Watch Tower, there were so many places to hide for a small child and so many dangerous rooms. Batman had a small backpack with Robin's stuff which he handed over to the Scarlett Speedster.

They waved goodbye to Batman as he left on his mission, but only after crouching down to give Robin a reassuring hug and whisper something in his ear (and wasn't that a weird site - who knew the Bat could act like a human?). Then they were alone and e had a six year old kid looking up at him expectantly. So, he thought he was safe letting the kid watch a movie, eat some sweets than put him to bed. After all it normally worked with his eight year old nephew Wally on the rare occasion they had been asked to babysit (though it really had been a few months which was abnormally long for them to go without seeing the kid - he really should mention something to Iris).

That turned out to be a mistake. A big one. Admittedly he had never actually looked after Wally over night, usually his parents came home and were the ones to put him to bed so maybe that was why they hadn't been asked to babysit recently. It wasn't the movie itself, Flash couldn't even remember what movie it was (it was animated he definitely remembered that - and age appropriate (he wasn't completely stupid)), but it turns out giving sugar to cute little Robin results in a very hyper Robin. Turns out kids can get a sugar high off of sugar, who knew! (Not him).

The kid was practically bouncing of the walls. Actually, ignore the 'practically' he meant literally. The kid was running up to the walls flipping and jumping off of them and then repeating. Honestly, it was quite impressive how much air the kid was getting and they were some awesome tricks. Wait, did he say impressive? He meant worrying.

He also talked extremely fast. Not fast enough to beat a speedster but definitely an impressive speed for a normal human being. Flash was torn between letting the kid use up all his energy or trying to convince him to stop. Eventually, he decided on the former - and by decided he meant he couldn't physically catch the kid. Every time he got close, Robin would bounce out of the way or flip over him and the room was far too small to actually speed around in (he had tried it and smashed into a wall, then tried it again and fell over the sofa. After that he had given up trying). Begging and pleading also failed - the kid was far too hyper to listen. He just continued to talk about anything and everything.

Two hours later the boy seemed to have exhausted himself, he was no longer bouncing a round the room and had instead collapsed on the couch eyes struggling to remain open. Flash decided to seize the moment and get him to bed (it was already late and probably past his bedtime). He lifted the tiny child into his arms bridal style and carried him into Batman's room knowing the bat would be up all night either on the mission or writing up a report of the mission (plus he had no idea where else to put the kid and this way he knew where the kid was). He helped the sleepy kid get changed out of his uniform and into the soft pyjamas that Batman had provided in the backpack. Then he tucked him up in the giant bed, making sure to tuck in the Batman teddy bear which had been left on the sofa during the hyper episode. (He definitely didn't have a good look around the elusive Bat's room which everyone was normally forbidden from entering, no he definitely didn't do that).

Leaving the kid alone turned out to also be a mistake. He really was having no luck today - that was two bad decisions out of two. Flash had retreated out of the room to collapse in the comfortable bed in his own room (which was just down the corridor). Robin had managed to exhaust both of them during his sugar rush. He was woken out of a lovely dream by a scream. Rolling and then falling out of bed he glanced at the clock which read 11:46 before rushing to get up. He flung himself out of his room and down the corridor, dreading what he would find - had someone managed to get in? Were they being attacked?

He only hesitated slightly at the door of Batman's room. No one was allowed in normally and he was sure he had stretched that by putting Robin to bed already. Batman would have to make an exception just this once. He barged into the room and practically fell towards the bed. He found Robin twisting and turning, sweat noticeable on his brow and nonsensical words streaming from his frowning lips.

It hit Flash like a freight train (which really hurt - trust him); Robin was having a Nightmare, and a bad one at that looking at the kid. He pushed down the relief of there not being an attack/invasion and panic - how do you deal with a kid having a nightmare? He sat on the side of the bed and gently pulled the boy towards him into this arms. He wasn't sure whether waking the kid up was a good idea so he started whispering comforting and calming words and sounds at him, hoping to at least calm the kid down.

He failed to do that but did succeed in waking him up. Robin jolted awake, breathing hard, tears streaming down his face highlighting his startlingly blue eyes.

"Are you ok?" Flash asked gently. Which in retrospect seemed like a stupid question - of course the kid wasn't alright he had been having a nightmare.

Robin slowly nodded in answer., but tears kept streaming down his face and he was occasionally hiccupping.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked again gently. He had his own share of nightmares (being a hero definitely gave you plenty of nightmare fuel) and as cheesy as it sounds talking did help.

"I... I...I dreamed about their deaths..." The poor boy continued to hiccup, his voice cracking with emotions.

"Who's death?" Flash asked already guessing and dreading the answer. After all, Batman was his guardian and for that to happen -.

"My...my...my parents." Robin said quietly.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" He really didn't want to push the kid.

Robin nodded.

"Are you sure?"

Robin again nodded this time a bit more positive with his answer.

"I...trust you...uncle Barry."

The warm feeling in Flash's tummy made him forget to ask how the boy knew his identity. Probably Bats. And to be honest he didn't really care right now, he was happy being Uncle Barry (he could have two nephews and maybe one day he would introduce them to each other).

The words seemed to spill out of Robin's mouth unable to stop themselves, only stopping a few times to get his breathing and hiccups under control. He told Flash about his days in the circus, Tony Zucco's first visit, the sabotaged wires and everything else leading up to and after Batman adopting him even how and why he became Robin.

Flash was glad the kid trusted him and promised himself he would always be there for me the little Bird who had already lost so much.

He was also very proud of himself when the next morning Batman gave him a nod and if he looked closely enough you could see a faint twitch of his lips. Which was the closest he would get to a smile to anyone other than his little Bird.

He was also terrified when he was dragged aside and warned about what would happen if he ever gave Robin sugar again.


	5. Meeting Martian Manhunter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the next chapter is up.  
> Please enjoy and let me know what you think!  
> More to come soon  
> Robyn

The second time Robin was allowed in the Watch Tower was for training. Apparently he needed to work more on mental training seeing as so many super powered criminals were capable of mental attacks instead of/alongside physical attacks and he needed to be able to defend himself (Batman had given him several lectures on the topic). And who better to train him then Martian Manhunter himself?

It was about a month after his last visit when Batman beamed them both up. Robin could only look around the place as he was taken on a tour around the Watch Tower. He hadn't gotten one last time - he'd seen about three rooms - the Justice League's Headquarters was everything he thought they would be and more. He practised schooling his face like Batman had taught him, hiding his awe and wonder from everyone but Batman (he couldn't hide anything from him - yet). His favourite place by far however was the training room.

It had everything a circus ninja loves. Plenty of shadows around the edges (perfect for hiding in), a target range, punching bags, easy access to the vents and even to his joy a trapeze. This was one of several training rooms in fact but this was the best one in his mind.

Batman only gave him a tiny smile down at him and continued walking towards the target range.

Robin had to run a bit to catch up with his mentor having gotten distracted exploring the training room. He took a mental note to have a go on the trapeze the next time he was at the Watch Tower, he missed being able to fly properly. Running across the rooftops fighting bad guys was thrilling but a different feeling to being on a trapeze.

Behind the target range there was a small door. The door was semi-hidden, not obvious on first glance but noticeable when you knew it was there. Robin followed his mentor through the door, not having to duck unlike Batman - sometimes it was good to be small. The room on the other side was small but bright. It held two sofas, a red one and a green one sitting opposite each other, with a small blue mat in the middle.

Martian Manhunter sat on the mat facing away from the green sofa, back parallel to the red sofa but not touching. Batman nodded a greeting to him before patting Robin reassuringly on the shoulder and moving over to a small chair in the corner that he hadn't noticed on first inspection. Robin was thankful for that, Batman was a reassuring presence even hidden away in the corner and he hadn't exactly been looking towards this training. Being in the Watch Tower again - yes, but actually having someone invade his mind and have to defend it - no.

"You must be Robin, it is nice to finally meet you." Martian Manhunter said sincerely waving a hand telling the little Bird to sit down opposite him. Robin moved over to do so, mimicking the older hero and keeping a straight back, legs crossed.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you too. Martian Manhunter, right?" Robin asked. He was already pretty sure he knew the answer - why else would he be here otherwise? The whole point of being here was for mental training with said hero. Still it felt polite to actually ask and Alfred had drilled politeness into him.

"Yes, but you may call me J'onn."

"Thanks J'onn." Robin nodded, hands twitching and fidgeting nervous.

"Let's get started then shall we. I will try to get into your mind and I want you to try and imagine some kind of barrier to stop me. I will be gentle initially and we will see how you progress. Tell me if you would like a break at any moment. " J'onn explained.

Robin nodded in reply then closed his eyes and got ready. He wasn't sure closing his eyes would actually help but it felt like the right thing to do in the situation. Moments later he could feel the Martian's presence enter his head. Like he said it was gentle and prodding, he could feel him trying to get through and seek out information. He braced himself and tried to think of something to defend himself. What did the Martian say? Try and imagine a barrier. An idea struck and he tried to imagine a ticket booth like they had at the circus and a wall going all the way around blocking the Martian's entry, sheltering his thoughts from attackers. The circus was a comforting memory mostly, it had been home for his whole life and could easily picture it as a defence.

Slowly he could feel J'onn trying to prod further in an attempt to break through. Picking up in force when he didn't get anywhere. Robin gathered himself, the mental strain was taxing at the minute but it was working. He felt J'onn gather himself back before launching a final attack all at once - Robin's defences shuddered but mostly held.

Eventually the Martian backed down, leaving Robin mentally exhausted. He was really hopeful that mental defences like that got less taxing the more he practised, he wasn't sure he could hold up against an actual attack or for longer periods of time.

"You did brilliant for your first attempt. You need to practise more which will enable you to maintain your defences without as much concentration or strain." The Martian praised his young student. Batman offered a secret smile at his protégé before leaving the room, explaining that he had been called away but would be back shortly. Martian Manhunter dragged Robin's attention back to him. "Are you ready to go again?" Robin took a deep breath, mentally readying himself before nodding.

A minute later he had the barriers back up as Martian Manhunter was on the offence again. Everything was going well until he started focussing too much on the details of the booth, allowing memories to distract him from maintaining the defences. The moment of distraction was all that was needed for J'onn to slip into his mind. As always with his memories, he could only focus on the good memories of the circus before it led back to the night where everything went wrong.

Usually he could stop his thoughts before he got to it, he'd had plenty of practise trying not to think about it, but with the Martian in his mind he could not stop the memory playing out clearly in his mind. He still noticed every detail; the sudden silence of the tent, the thud as the bodies hit the ground, the deafening screams and him, a small boy begging for his family to wake up.

It had been nine months since the accident and he still had nightmares.

Robin pulled his hand into a fist and focussed on pushing out the invader and ending the memory. Martian Manhunter was forced out of his mind with enough force to make him sway back. Robin hunched up on himself, knees pulled up to his chest as he took long shuddering breaths. He was trying desperately to stop the tears threatening to fall.

"Are you ok?" J'onn asked unsure what to say, he didn't really have much experience with small children. He looked towards the door, hoping desperately that Batman would return, as he would know how to comfort his young protégé.

Robin nodded, still trying to control his breathing, hands clutching his cape, pulling it around him like a safety blanket. It took a few minutes to calm himself, he took a final deep breath before uncurling himself, and pushing himself into position - leaning against the sofa now though (he wasn't sure he would be able to keep himself sitting up otherwise).

"Do you wish to continue?" He asked uncertain.

"Yes please." Robin's reply was in a small voice. It would give him something else to focus on.

Slowly they tried again until Robin could get his barriers up instantly and worked on keeping them up for longer periods of time. The student and teacher didn't even realise two hours had gone by until Batman came back through saying it was time for Robin to go home.

Robin nodded and pulled himself up only wobbling once as he reached his feet. He turned to leave but not before turning once more to J'onn.

"Thank you Uncle J'onn." His quite voice left a warm feeling in the Martian's stomach. He started to reply only to find the Dynamic Duo had already disappeared. He shook his head slightly, he really should have expected that from the pair.

And that was the first time Robin met Martian Manhunter, but not the last. The lessons continued, fairly irregular due to both being very busy. Robin was determined to practise and get his shield up so that he would be able to defend himself if ever necessary. It helped that Martian Manhunter had mentioned the possibility of strong defences helping with his nightmares.

But despite everything Robin knew his Uncle J'onn would always be there for him when he needed him, despite never really having talked about what he had seen in his memories. It helped that his calm stance and peaceful attitude (when outside the battlefield) made him less of a target for Robin's pranks as he grew up (unlike Green Arrow and Flash who were easy targets - especially when Kid Flash and Speedy were around to help him). And J'onn was happy to have helped the young hero defend himself.


	6. Meeting Green Lantern

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is up.  
> Here is Green Lantern - Hal Jordan as this is the one I knew best at the time.  
> Thank you for reading and enjoy  
> Robyn

When Superman called Green Lantern to act as back up for a mission the Bat and he were doing, he could honestly say he did not expect to find a small traffic-light coloured boy standing next to the Dark Night. Though thinking about it he should have expected it, he had heard lots about Batman's new protégé - Robin.

But that didn't mean Hal had appreciated having a kid with them. It was kind of insulting to be fighting alongside a literal child and honestly - what was a small child doing fighting crime?

The mission itself was fairly simple, not exactly a universe or even world threatening one but still quite important - more small city important if we were sticking to that scale. Their mission was to find out as much information as they could about a new group of assassin called the Vipers. They had spent most of the day on a stakeout, waiting for the trade to go down and then stopping said trade - which would have given the Vipers access to several dangerous weapons and they even suspected kryptonite. Superman suspected they were in league or at the very least trading with Lex Luthor, which was why the Boy Scout was along for the ride. To say things went south quickly would be like saying Batman was only a little bit scary.

That led to all three league members trapped in various cages in the large empty, dusty warehouse the trade had been going down in. Robin had been left outside for the actual battle despite his complaints which had reassured Green Lantern that Bats hadn't completely lost his mind (not that he would say that out loud ever).The good news however was they had definitely confirmed the trade included kryptonite. Bad news was that meant Superman was essentially out of action, he was lying in his steel cage barely conscious, surrounded by said kryptonite. Both Batman and himself were wrapped up in rope and chains and shoved into similar steel cages. Batman had been stripped of his utility built and had noticeably more rope and chains then him - which he wasn't sure how to take, and his Green Lantern ring had been taken which meant the villains weren't completely stupid (despite their appearance). Both utility belt and ring were left on a small table next to some of the weapons from the trade.

And the head of the group, the one that seemed to have been controlling the trade, seemed to have taken classes for classic criminal work wear. The man was tall about 6"2, and had noticeable muscles. He wore a classic black ski mask and matching black clothing, which seemed to be the group uniform as the men that surrounded them wore similar outfits and were heavily armed. The only thing that separated him from the others was the snake skin shoes he wore. Green Lantern was thinking about taking back the whole 'not completely stupid' comment seeing as the leader, who he had started to refer to as 'Snake Shoes' in his head (give him a break - he was tied up, he wasn't exactly a writer who comes up with brilliant villain names) had started the classic evil monologue. Green Lantern was pretty sure that all villains really needed to do to defeat the heroes was bore them to death by talking about their plans.

Despite the seemingly sour and hopeless situation Batman seemed to simply be waiting for something. He was wearing his normal scowl not the 'I'm in serious danger scowl' or 'I'm furious scowl', at best he looked mildly annoyed. He barely seemed to even notice the villain and was watching the shadows. Green Lantern tried to find what the Dark Knight was watching, it took a minute before noticing a slight movement in the shadows, back-up had arrived. Almost as soon as he had spotted the movement it was gone, the villain continued monologuing without noticing anything.

Then the commotion started. He heard a series of faint thuds and the occasional gun shot from the small store room behind the cages. The noise seemed to startle Snake Shoes as he finally stopped talking (blessed mercy). Silence rang through the warehouse before Snake Shoes ordered some of the armed men guarding the door to investigate. More thuds echoed and a small scream before it was cut off suddenly. Green Lantern tried to turn around to seem more (not that that would help as there was a wall between them but still) but only managed to find himself in an even less comfortable position (which was an achievement). Batman seemed smug and poor Superman was still fighting unconsciousness.

Clearly Snake Shoes didn't have any common sense as he ordered the remaining men to investigate, leaving him alone with the three trapped heroes. He was starting to look more unnerved, especially as the pattern continued - thuds, some inaudible shouts and faint gun fire before complete silence. Snake Shoes was glancing between the door and captured heroes nervously. Green Lantern suddenly realised what was going on - why Batman was looking smug, back-up of the small variety had arrived.

A cackle echoed through the room that made even Green Lantern shiver, which was nothing compared to Snake Shoes who had slowly started descending more and more into terrified hysteria. Green Lantern noticed before Snake Shoes did - Robin had descended from the rafters and shadows, landing behind the villain with a smirk. He tapped Snake Shoes on the shoulder, causing the villain to spin around with a shout. He seemed to have completely forgotten the fact that he was armed and twice the height of the Boy Wonder. It took one hard punch to the side of his head and a second later he was face first on the floor unconscious.

"That took you too long Robin. I expected you would have dealt with them quicker." Batman called out to his protégé, despite the words his tone was noticeably warmer than normal. Green Lantern took his eyes off the young hero for the first time only to find Batman out of the ropes and cage, putting his utility belt back before moving to collect the kryptonite and free Superman. The Kryptonian perked up noticeably as the kryptonite was removed and he was freed from the cage.

Superman turned to greet the young hero as Batman moved to free him from his own ropes and cage, handing back his ring. The Boy Scout had a smile on his face at seeing the boy and was patting hi on the back in congratulations. Even Batman if you looked very, very closely had a small twitch of the lips. Which Green Lantern figured would be the closest he would be to seeing Batman smile.

Wow, this kid was a miracle if he got the Dark Bat to smile.

"Hey daddy, Uncle Superman. You must be Green Lantern AKA Hal Jordan right?" The boy sounded as if he already knew the answer, which he most likely did knowing the Bat - he seemed to know everything about everyone and had probably taught the kid everything he knew. Green Lantern found himself nodding, muted and unable to form any words to speak. wat do you say to the tiny child hero who had swooped in to save you?

Eventually he managed to pick his jaw off the floor only to discover the Dynamic Duo and Superman inspecting and inspecting the weapon collection on the table. He caught up to them as they moved through the abandoned warehouse into a small backroom on the opposite side from the store room. Batman was talking on a com to someone called Agent A about calling the cops, Robin at his side.

Green Lantern found himself hurrying to keep pace with the Kryptonian, man he moved fast.

"How old is that kid?" He asked quietly, both curious and worried. He glanced back at the duo hoping they hadn't heard.

"Who, Robin? He's six, almost seven. He's been a hero for about eight months give or take. He has a pretty tragic story before being taken in by Batman but he's a good kid." Superman said with a small frown looking at the Bats in front. "I know what you're thinking. I was apprehensive when I first heard about him but Batman won't let anything happen to the kid and it's either we help him be a hero or he does it on his own in more danger. Just think about it, besides he did just rescue us, give the kid a chance."

Before Green Lantern could reply or ask any other questions, the Gotham duo approached the pair. Taking in the contents of the new room - it was laid out as an office which indicated the warehouse was a more long term base and not just a single use base for the trade. A desk and chair was set up with a computer and files laid out across it. Dusty shelves stretched across the back, mostly empty.

"Robin." Batman grunted to his partner, who simply nodded in answer and slid into the seat facing the desk. The kid started typing rapidly on the computer, inserting a USB stick as his hands flew across the keyboard. A few seconds of hurried tapping later Robin pulled out the USB and nodded to his mentor. What was Batman teaching this kid?

The lack of typing left an almost suffocating silence which was interrupted by a quiet ticking noise was heard, coming from underneath the desk. Robin ducked under being the smallest and before anyone could stop him.

"It's an explosive device set to go off in forty seconds and counting." He said looking back up, remarkably unworried about said bomb. Seriously Batman, teach your kid to have a healthy sense of fear!

Not a second later all four were running out the door and back through the main room of the dark warehouse before exiting into the fading light of the evening, lights illuminating the city behind them. They continued moving trying to reach a safe distance from the explosive device. Green Lantern was thankful they were in a deserted part of the city - no civilians to be put in danger. Only moments after the group were out the entrance did the high pitch beeping get loud enough to hear and then exploded in a multitude of sound and colours.

The four stared confused at the building. When they heard explosive device they all assumed it was a bomb but the evidence otherwise was in front of them. It was not a bomb - but a timer for a set of fireworks. Why did a criminal group have fireworks at their abandoned warehouse?

They watched the display for another minute before Green Lantern started to walk back into the warehouse, there was still evidence to collect after all. His movement was stopped by Robin who put a small arm out to stop him. He turned to the kid about to question him but was interrupted by a real bomb exploded, obliterating the warehouse.

Green Lantern gaped open mouthed, How did the kid know? He looked down at Robin in gratitude and the boy nodded in reply, a smirk on his lips. Batman looked unsurprised at the explosion, instantly back on his com talking to the mysterious Agent A again as Superman watched the flames roar in front of them.

And this was how Green Lantern came to find himself as Uncle Hal to, although he would never admit it out loud, a pretty awesome, kick-butt nephew. Also he discovered Robin was a brilliant assistant to help him get back at Flash for all the pranks the Speedster pulled.


	7. Meeting Aquaman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the next chapter is up - Enjoy!

With Batman off world and Alfred at the manor sick, Dick, or rather Robin, had been sent to the Watch Tower so that he could be supervised. Flash, Superman and Green Arrow were the 'responsible' adults that were supposed to be looking after him for the day and a half before Batman was due back. They weren't exactly Batman's first choice (at least; Green Arrow and Flash weren't) but there wasn't many other options. Of course this 'responsible adult supervision' resulted in a major prank war, with Flash and Robin teaming up against Green Arrow. Superman had wisely disappeared when the paint first started flying.

It only took an hour for Green Arrow to be covered in pink glitter, neon paint, and a sparkly princess tiara sat squint on his head. Easy to say Green Arrow was not very impressed. Yet, he had been struggling to get the Speedster and Boy Wonder back - both were very skilled in the art of pranks. The prank war was unfortunately very one-sided, so when Superman wisely caused an end to the war Green Arrow was very relieved.

That meant they had to come up with a new way to entertain the young kid. Having learnt from his first time babysitting, Flash decided to let Robin have a go in training room with the trapeze, volunteering to act as spotter. Robin instantly went for the trapeze, despite the occasional trips to the Watch Tower (mostly for his mental training with Martian Manhunter) he had yet to actually use the trapeze. Flash watched amazed as the young hero seemed to fly across the room, any other League member that stopped by was similarly amazed. They were finally starting to understand why his name was Robin.

Once he had finished his display on the trapeze he managed to convince Flash and Green Arrow to spar with him. He managed to knock Green Arrow to the floor a few times and even gave Flash a bit of trouble during their match. The pair was impressed with the young hero - if he was already this capable at this age what would he be like as he grew older? That managed to occupy several more hours before Robin started getting twitchy and bored. Superman (who had reappeared at some point) came up with the idea of letting Robin have a go at upgrading their systems as he had continued to complain about their lack of security every time they met.

Eventually they managed to waste the day away and tire the boy out for the night. That only left about 9 hours before Batman should be back from his mission - not too long to entertain a small child for, right? Wrong, it was still morning and already the three heroes had run out of ideas. Superman managed to escape as it was his turn on monitor duty, leaving the babysitting duties to Green Arrow and Flash which probably explains the trouble that followed.

Green Arrow had come up with the brilliant idea of a mini-competition. A series of small meaningless but fun challenges for the three to undertake. Flash (unsurprisingly) won the race across the Tower, Robin one both the acrobatic challenge and climbing challenge and Green Arrow had yet to win anything. Their little competition had managed to draw the attention of some of the other heroes that were wondering the Tower - in between missions or simply relaxing amongst peers and friends.

Green Lantern had come up with the latest challenge; to see who could hold their breath under water the longest. The group (mainly Robin with his puppy-eyes) had convinced Black Canary and Superman (who had finished monitor duty) to take part alongside the four of them. They had even managed to convince Martian Manhunter and Wonder Woman to act as supervisors and judges.

The only rules were no cheating, no using powers, and no sabotaging anyone else. Once they had all gotten dressed into swimming trunks/costumes (Robin didn't have any with him but his uniform was waterproof so had simply removed cape and utility belt) they made their way to one of the two Olympic-size pools that the Watch Tower hosted (the fresh water one not the sea water one).

The six competitors waded into the water and found a space in the water, waiting for the signal to start. Martian Manhunter counted down from three and they all dived down below the surface. Martian Manhunter and Wonder Woman watched on from the surface, both judging and prepared for any emergencies. After about a minute and twenty seconds Green Lantern re-surfaced and made his way to the shore where Wonder Woman handed him a towel. About thirty seconds later Green Arrow followed and then Flash fifteen seconds after. Superman came up next only ten seconds later. Black Canary was the last League member to surface another thirty seconds after Superman - a total time of 2 minutes and 45 seconds. Not bad but Wonder Woman made a note that they should probably do some more training in the water.

The only one left underwater was Robin. The League members watched from the side, getting more nervous the longer the boy stayed under. They knew Batman could hold his breath for a fairly long time but Robin hadn't been training that long -surely he should have come up by now? After a full minute had passed after Canary came up, Aquaman entered the room. He had heard the commotion from the corridor (Flash had started chattering nervously) and had come to investigate. He found seven senior League members (all well experience heroes) watching a small colourful child underwater in the middle of the pool nervously from the side.

"What's going on?" He asked, giving a few of the League members a fright as they hadn't heard him come up behind them.

"We were having a small competition; seeing who could hold our breath the longest but Robin still hasn't come up and it's been about four minutes now." Superman explained, trying to remain calm.

Aquaman glanced back at the young boy in the water. He had heard about Batman's young protégé, he was sure the kid was very capable but he didn't want to face Batman's wrath if anything happened. "I'll see if he's okay." Without waiting for an answer, he dived smoothly into the water and made his way to the young hero.

The boy glanced up as he saw the hero approach, offering a wave. Aquaman waved back unsure; clearly the kid was okay but he wasn't sure what to do know that he was actually facing him. His confused face must have been a sight as it caused Robin to try to giggle; his hand flew to his mouth to stop him actually doing so and losing his breath. Robin pushed off the floor of the pool and darted towards the surface. Unlike the older heroes he didn't immediately gasp for air he just started giggling (which confused the seven heroes watching from the side).

Aquaman joined him at the surface as the younger half of the Dynamic Duo made his way to the side and pulled himself out of the pool, sitting with his legs dangling in the water. He turned his head to Martian Manhunter (who held the stopwatch). "How long was I under?" He asked the gaping heroes. Martian Manhunter was arguably the calmest and answered with a small smile. Robin had been under for four minutes and 48 seconds. The boy nodded, smiling at the time before turning back to Aquaman who was still standing in the pool, water up to his chest.

"Hey, you're Aquaman man right? It's nice to meet you." Robin asked, grinning at the hero.

"Yes, it is a pleasure to meet you as well Robin. You are quite skilled under the water." Aquaman nodded at Robin's thank you before starting to swim. He had been on his way to the pool anyway before getting side tracked by the commotion.

Robin watched him glide through the water before pulling himself to his feet, grabbing a towel and facing the other heroes.

"Ha, told you you'd lose GL!" He laughed, grinning at said hero as he left the room. Once he left the older heroes seemed to unfreeze all moving to follow him, some more rapidly than others.

"Hey! Get back here kid!" A cackle was heard in reply, leaving the rest of the heroes laughing at their teammate being beaten by a kid. Not that it was completely unexpected - it was Batman's kid after all.

* * *

About half an hour later, Robin had managed to ditch his babysitters temporarily and made his way back to the pool. The earlier challenge had made him want to go for a swim. Aquaman was still doing lengths of the pool and had yet to notice his entry. Robin watched for a few minutes, entranced by the way the aquatic hero moved through the water. He waited until the hero seemed to take a break, pausing at the shallow end of the pool and stretching.

"Hi." Aquaman gave a small jump at the sound of the quite little voice. He turned his head in search of the source of the voice, finding Robin standing slightly nervous at the side of the pool. "Do you mind if I join you?"

"Of course, you are always welcome." Aquaman offered a smile as the boy entered the water, coming to stand next to him. He watched with a raised eyebrow as a mischievous grin made its way onto the young hero's face.

"Hey! I'll race you twenty laps starting...now!" The boy challenged as he swam off at speed, not giving his competitor any time to react.

Aquaman tried to go slower for the bird's sake, but quickly found himself having fun and wanting to beat the little boy.

And that was how Aquaman met Robin, through a day of challenges. Whenever Robin was at the Tower and had a spare hour he tried to find Aquaman for a swim and eventually admitted to knowing the heroes identity. He even revealed his own, confirming Aquaman's suspicions on the kid's identity (Bruce adopts a kid and then suddenly Batman get's a kid protégé - it wasn't that hard to put together if you knew Batman's identity).

Soon after he became Uncle Orin and was often seen teaching the boy cool water tricks and racing him.

Like all the other League members he found himself starting to love the boy like a nephew and looking forward to spending time with him.

Yes, it seemed Robin was too cute to resist.


	8. Meeting Zatara, Hawkman and Hawkwoman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Robin is officially seven now in my little universe.  
> Also, I know very little about these three heroes - so apologies.  
> Enjoy!  
> (Speedy is next, then Kid Flash!)

When Zatara was called to the Watch Tower, he was extremely annoyed. It was troublesome enough finding someone he trusted to babysit Zatanna when he knew ahead of time but a last minute babysitter was almost impossible. But he had managed it, leaving her and dashing to the Watch Tower, wondering what could be so important that required his immediate presence. Finding out that he was supposed to help look after Robin, Batman's young protégé he only just managed to resist the urge to scream in frustration. He had heard plenty about the young hero - both from other League members and on the news, Zatanna was obsessed with the young hero to his annoyance (he'd had to stop her following him and trying to be a hero herself several times now).

Apparently everyone else the Bat trusted to supervise his kid were on missions and Agent A (whom he had never heard about before) was away, leaving Hawkman, Hawkwoman and him to look after the kid at the Watch Tower. Even if he was upset with the circumstances, he had to admit the kid was adorable. He was wearing his normal traffic light coloured uniform, pixie boots and domino mask as he did when Zatara saw him on the news, although he was smaller than expected - how old was this kid? Said kid clutched a Batman teddy bear in his left hand, which Zatara would never admit to chuckling at, of course the kid adored his mentor enough to have a teddy bear mimicking him. The kid was watching them with a blank face but Zatara got the distinct impression the kid was analysing him just as much as he was doing to the kid.

"Hi kid, I'm Zatara, this is Hawkwoman, AKA Shayera, and this is Hawkman, AKA Katar." He told the kid pointing at each person in turn. Both of the other heroes waved at the kid as they were introduced.

"Hi." The Boy Wonder replied in a quiet voice, starring up at Shayera's wings in wonder. "What's it like to fly?" Robin's question surprised all three of them, it seemed to come out of nowhere from the seemingly shy kid.

Shayera and Katar shared a glance before turning back to the kid. "It's amazing, like swimming through the air with nothing able to pull you down." Shayera replied smiling at the kid.

"I used to fly." The kid's statement shocked them. He looked fairly sad, lost in memories.

Zatara wondered if he meant he was a metahuman or he had wings hidden somewhere. The kid didn't seem to have any abilities from what he'd seen on the news and he hadn't expected Batman to take on a metahuman as a sidekick (not that anyone had expected Batman to take on a kid at all).

"Really?" Katar beat them to asking the question they were all thinking.

"Yeah, well as close as humans get to flying. I grew up on the trapeze." The kid gave a little frown as he continued thinking about it.

Zatara decided to change the topic as the poor boy looked as if he was remembering bad memories. For Batman to have suddenly taken him in suggested he either had a bad home life or none to go back too and that wasn't likely to have been a happy experience.

"Do you like magic?" He asked hoping he could make the kid smile again with a few simple tricks. It worked with Zatanna and surely she was about the same age as him. Robin squealed out a yes and then started jumping up and down in excitement. His face plastered with a giant grin. So that was a yes on the magic front.

"How about I do a spell?" He asked knowing what the answer would be.

"Yes please! Make me fly! That's my dream, to fly again!" The kid was still bouncing up and down.

Zatara tried to think of ways to break it to the kid that he wasn't a genie and it was maybe a bit dangerous. (He had heard about Daddy Bats and did not want Batman killing him for harming his precious ward - it was understandable, he knew how much he would give to protect his daughter). But he made the mistake of looking into the kid's hopeful eyes and decided just this once, he would play genie and try his best.

"Ekam niboR ylf!" He chanted, raising his hands. A swirl of blue surrounding Robin and the heroes starred down at the boy in worry as the light completely covered the young hero. A second later the blue light was gone and, to the heroes horror, so was Robin. That was definitely not good, Zatara stared in horror at the space the kid had been - his magic shouldn't have done that!

Hawkwoman squinted at the spot the little boy had been only seconds before, she thought she could see something moving. She crouched down to try and get a better view when she saw something, She let out a shocked gasp, bringing her hand to her mouth in surprise. She reached carefully towards what she had seen, picking it up and cupping it gently in her hands, moving back to Zatara and Hawkman who were watching her confused.

"Em... Zatara. I think your spell might worked a little too well."

In her hands was Robin, but not the human one, no, a little bird - a true robin. The small robin had the expected red breast and on closer expectation a small black pattern over his eyes - a domino mask. They had managed to transform Robin into a robin.

"We are so dead." Katar dead panned and Zatara had to agree. How were they supposed to explain this to Batman?

The little Bird shook his whole body and tumbled out of Shayera's hands. He plummeted towards the ground rapidly but before actually hitting the ground he unfurled his wings and took to the sky with a joyful chirp. The bird did twirls around the onlooking heroes tweeting out a happy song before soaring towards the roof. Zatara's heart jumped into his mouth - he really didn't want to lose the kid - bird - whatever. To his relief, as soon as the bird reached the roof it glided back down to land on his shoulder with a final joyful chirp.

"Quick! Put him back on the floor and change him back!" Katar shouted, unfortunately his sudden loud shout scared Robin, causing him to stumble off his perch and fly out of the room, leaving the three heroes to gape horrified.

"Yep, we're all dead." Shayera repeated Katar's earlier statement. That seemed to unfreeze the three of them as they leapt into action, chasing after the bird. As they entered the corridor the bird had disappeared into they found nothing. Exchanging glances they silently agreed to split up. Zatara turning left and Katar turning right, with Shayera taking to the air straight down the corridor.

* * *

Three hours later and the heroes had almost given up. They felt like they had checked every room in the Watch Tower twice, tearing through rooms and corridors alike (gaining many an old look from other heroes moving through the Tower). Zatara and Katar lay on the floor exhausted and trying desperately to fins a way to explain to Batman that they had his ward without getting killed (without any success) as Shayera checked over the security cameras hopelessly trying to fins any sigh of the small bird.

Zatara was shocked out of his thoughts by a small chirp. He shot up to a sitting position, trying to find the source of the sound. His eyes met empty air and he sighed, had he really gotten so desperate that he had started imagining it? Then there was a second chirp and he spotted the elusive bird perched on top of the computer that Shayera had been typing on. The bird fluttered to the centre of the room, sitting on the floor in front of him. All three heroes started at the bird in surprise, the bird was staring the three down and when they did nothing but look at him chirped for a third time expectantly.

It hit Zatara - he was waiting to be changed back! He quickly jumped up back onto his feet, , filled with new energy. he rolled his shoulders, pulled back his sleeves and got ready to do the spell. "Egnahc niboR kcab ot a namuh!" He chanted, hoping the spell would work. He really didn't know what he would do if it didn't.

A familiar blue light swirled around the small bird, Zatara held his breath as he disappeared from sight pleading for it to work. As the light vanished, Robin (the human) was left standing where the bird had been. All three heroes cheered - they wouldn't be killed by Batman today!

"Thank you, Uncle Zatara, Uncle Katar and Auntie Shayera!" Robin exclaimed before skipping off as the zeta-tubes activated and a computer announced the return of Batman, Flash and Green Lantern.

They barely noticed that however, too distracted with the young hero's last sentence. Did he just call them Auntie and Uncle? Oddly all three liked the warm feeling that spread in their stomachs.

At that moment Flash walked in, to see the three heroes with smiles on their faces.

Flash grinned. "I see, you've been Robined. Welcome to the club." He left the room laughing to himself. Oh, he was couldn't wait to tell Green Arrow about this.

Zatara definitely had a new tale to tell his daughter, although he sincerely hoped the story never got back to Batman.


	9. Meeting Speedy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now onto Speedy. Robin is now seven and Roy is twelve, Roy does not know that Dick is Robin but Robin knows Roy is Speedy, and that should be all you need to know.  
> (Kid Flash is next).  
> Thanks for reading and please enjoy!  
> Robyn

Roy Harper also known as the young hero Speedy, sidekick to Green Arrow, was not happy. Actually, that an understatement, he was incredibly upset and frustrated. He was being forced, against his will may he add, to babysit Dick Grayson - Bruce Wayne's seven year old ward, while Ollie and him were at a board meeting. Said board meeting was apparently 'vitally important' to their business deals and therefore neither kids were allowed. The main point of his annoyance was the fact that he didn't need a babysitter - which he had pointed out to Ollie (on many an occasion). He had been excited when Oliver agreed, but that excitement quickly evaporated when he was told he would be babysitting instead of being babysat.

So yeah, let him repeat it, he was not a happy archer. In fact he felt like killing Ollie, or maybe pranking him into the next week at least. After all, he knew exactly where Ollie hid all the paint and he knew what really frustrated the famed Green Arrow. So Ollie, should be prepared for his revenge.

The only good thing in this situation was that they would be staying at Oliver's house (mansion), as the board meeting was in Star City. He spent most of the morning before Bruce's ward being dropped off pacing the house and hiding his more valuable belongings (and embarrassing ones). When the door bell finally rang and Oliver called him down (which was redundant - obviously he had heard the door bell) to meet the young boy. Introductions were brief, before both adults left the boys alone (they promised to be back in about three hours).

Roy looked down at the boy he was supposed to be babysitting. He was slightly unnerved by how calm the kid was, Dick was just watching him with a smile on his face. He resisted a shiver, the kid seemed to be analysing him. The kid wore one of those Batman t-shirt that people had started selling as the hero became more popular (he would never admit to owning a few hero t-shirts himself), and some casual jeans. His hair was pitch black and unnaturally blue eyes. He clutched a Batman teddy bear in his hand - well the kid obviously liked Batman then. Roy would never admit to thinking it, but honestly? The boy was adorable, slightly unnerving but adorable.

"So ... what do you want to do kid?" Roy really hoped he said something easy like watch a movie or have a nap, he had no idea how to look after another kid and he really didn't want to be looking after someone else. He was a crime fighting hero! Not a babysitter!

Dick seemed to brighten and almost bounce up and down. "Can we play Speedy and Green Arrow! Please Roy!"

Now Roy was torn, on one hand playing pretend required far too much energy and effort. While on the other hand, he liked the idea of being someone's hero - of someone liking him enough to pretend to be him. Roy's heart warmed a bit at those words. Why not? Maybe it would be fun.

"Ok kid, is he your hero?" What? If couldn't hurt to ask.

Dick nodded eagerly. "Of course, but only after Batman and Robin." So close, yet so far.

"I'll be Speedy and you can be Green Arrow." The boy jumped into action, literally. "Quickly, Green Arrow! The bank is getting robbed and they are holding captives, we need to rescue them!" The boy ran off into a different room, not waiting for Roy.

With a sigh Roy followed him, slightly offended at having to be Green Arrow.

For about an hour Roy ran after Dick, sorry - 'Green Arrow' ran after 'Speedy', fighting invisible foes, all across Star City (aka the Queen mansion). Roy was just thankful that there had only been a few accidents so far. The main one being Dick finding his bow and cutting himself with an arrow (which is fairly impressive - yes they were very sharp but it takes effort to cut yourself on the point of an arrow when just holding it - trust him on that). Another accident may have been Roy's fault - he hadn't exactly planned to knock over an expensive vase. Oh well, Ollie had a lot more money, he could just buy a new one, and honestly it was very ugly.

When the doorbell rang Roy was slightly relieved at the chance of a break but surprised. He hoped it was Ollie, but that was a stupid thought, Ollie wouldn't ring the doorbell. It was his house! Plus, they weren't due back for another two hours at least and Oliver hadn't mentioned that they would be having guests. The doorbell rang again, more insistent so Roy shrugged mentally and told Dick to play on his own for a few minute to himself. He strolled over to the door and opened it up, not knowing what to expect, but definitely not expecting what he saw.

In the doorway stood two giant buffalo-like men and a smaller snake-like man. The animal analogies felt appropriate given both size and looks. Roy resisted the urge to gulp; of course he couldn't have an easy afternoon there just had to be trouble.

"Hi kid." The smaller man gave an evil grin as if he knew an inside joke that no one else understood. And Roy had a feeling he wouldn't like this inside joke. "You're gonna come with us quietly kid okay, and if your daddy pays, you might get to go home."

One of the buffalo men grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, like a kitten, before he could move away (his attempt to swing the door shut in their face failed badly - he really shouldn't have opened the door). Roy did not like feeling like a kitten.

As he was dragged off by the men, his only thoughts were that he hoped Dick was ok and that Ollie saved him. Soon. Also, this was embarrassing and he hoped no one else found out about it.

* * *

After being blindfolded and having his arms tied behind his back he had been chucked into the back of a van. The movement of the truck was disorientating and left his confused about where they were heading - he had tried to pay attention to the way the truck moved but had lost it a few minutes in. After what he estimated to be about a 20 minute drive he had been dragged out of the van by one of the men and into what he assumed was an old warehouse or abandoned building (with these kind of criminals it usually was). He had been forced to sit down in a chair and the blindfold had been ripped of his face.

He was right. It took a few minutes of squinting for his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. Yep, definitely looked like a run down warehouse, how cliché right? On either side of him stood one of the buffalo-like men that had 'greeted' him at the door. The smaller guy had left the room moving to a smaller side room, talking on the phone to who he presumed was Ollie, asking for the ransom money.

Just great, there was no way he could get out of this situation alone without revealing his identity. He would just have to sit tight and hope Ollie would come save him quickly. He sat for what felt like hours, but was probably only about ten minutes, before anything changed - a small thud came from the shadows and a voice echoed out in the surrounding warehouse.

"Let him go!"

"Who's there?" The buffalo on his right asked, sounding as dumb as he looked. Roy glanced around trying to find the source of the voice - it sounded far too young to be Green Arrow. Out of the shadows came a kid in a traffic light coloured uniform and pixie boots. His face was still in the dark, but you could see he wore a mask. The buffalo guy obviously didn't recognize him but Roy did. It was Robin, the Boy Wonder. Roy had heard about him - both from Oliver (and Dinah who came by sometimes) and on the news.

The buffalo guys laughed - they clearly had no idea who Robin was and how much trouble they were in. Good for Roy but bad for them. Of everything he had heard about the kid, the most talked about was his shockingly good crime fighting skills for his age. The hero smirked at the unsuspecting idiots and disappeared back into the shadows - the next sound was the thud of the guard on his right being knocked out and hitting the ground. A spine shivering cackle was heard and the next thing Roy knew the guard on his left was knocked out as well and he was being untied.

The commotion brought the third member of the group back out of the side room, phone abandoned. He was greeted to the sight of his thugs knocked out on the floor and their hostage free. Roy looked to his side, where the hero had previously been, only to realize the bird wasn't there anymore. The last man didn't have a chance to question how their hostage (a seemingly harmless and scared rich kid) had managed to escape and knock out his men as a third thug left him in the same position - flat out on the floor.

Robin dragged the three men to the middle of the floor (which took effort - seriously those men were huge) and tied them together with zip ties he pulled out of his utility belt, Roy watched confused on how the young hero had known he was in trouble and why exactly a Gotham hero was in Star City. Not even a minute after he had finished with the men did the door burst open and Green Arrow and Batman swept into the room, ready for action.

"Only a little late Ollie." Roy rubbed his wrists bitterly. Green Arrow gave a sheepish smile, moving over to check on his protégé.

"Robin come on, it's time to go back to Gotham." Batman grunted to his protégé, the Caped Crusader had barely glanced at Roy.

Robin nodded to his mentor and walked towards the door, but not before turning to Roy and saying, "Nice to meet you Speedy, I can't wait till the next time we get to play, you make a brilliant Green Arrow!"

The words took a minute to register in Roy's head. "Why, you little Troll!" All that was heard was a creepy cackle before the Dynamic Duo were gone.

Roy turned to face his mentor, who was struggling not to laugh at his protege's expression.

It wasn't the last time Roy was left babysitting Dick or even working with him as sidekicks (on a are occasion where Green Arrow and Batman typed up). After plenty of mischief Roy started to see Dick as his little brother. Robin ad Speedy made a brilliant crime fighting team and amazing prankster team (Ollie regretted introducing them).

And that my friends, is how two thirds of the terrible trio met.

The start of a brotherhood that involved both mischief and tears in equal amounts.

But, no matter what happened they would always be there for each other.


	10. Meeting Kid Flash

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now Kid Flash, who is ten currently and Robin is still seven.  
> Next is Aqualad.  
> Thanks for reading and enjoy!  
> Robyn

When Wally West, also known as Kid Flash, the young speedster protégé of the hero Flash, was told he was going to get to meet Batman and his protégé Robin, he ran around Central city - twelve times. He only managed to make it twelve times before Flash found him and corralled him home. Anyway, his uncle, (the Flash!) was meeting with Batman (or scary Bats and other names he called him when he didn't think Wally was listening) to discuss villain, specifically Joker sightings near Central.

Wally hoped he never had to meet that creepy clown. Between all the stories he had heard from his uncle and the news stories on tv he had easily come to the conclusion that the Joker wasn't like the Central City Rogues (who liked to call Wally, Baby Flash and occasionally 'kidnapped' him so they could hang out) and he never wanted to deal with the psycho.

Anyway, back on to the topic at hand. Wally was standing next to Flash on top of a roof top waiting for the Dynamic Duo, it was getting late so he was thankful it was a Saturday night (it would have been horrible to go to school after this late a night) and the only light available was from the moon. They had been standing on the abandoned roof at the edge of town for half an hour already - Kid Flash had dragged his uncle out early. He had been afraid they would get distracted by something and end up late, plus he had been so excited that he'd started vibrating and had been struggling to calm down. But come on, this was Batman and Robin! The famed Dynamic Duo - The Caped Crusader and Boy Wonder themselves! He really didn't want to make a bad impression - they were his heroes (aside from Uncle Barry).

He kept glancing between his mentor at his side and the expanses of darkness ahead of him trying to catch a glimpse of the heroes. He was rewarded with two shadowy figures landing across the roof top from them, appearing as if from nowhere. Kid Flash could barely contain his excitement, having to physically stop his hands from twitching.

"Flash, Kid Flash." Batman grunted as he and his protégé prowled towards the Speedsters into the dim moonlight.

"Hey Bats, Robin." Flash greeted with a short wave before glancing back to his own protégé. "Why don't you two kids go play while we talk. Kid Flash you could give Robin a tour." He all but shoved the kids towards each other. "Of course, only if that's okay with you Batman." Flash quickly added at Batman's glare.

Robin looked up at Batman and they seemed to have a silent conversation, before Batman reluctantly nodded his head, and walked over to Flash moving out of hearing of the younger heroes so they could start discussing logistics.

Kid Flash looked at the other young hero - he seemed even smaller in person - he wore his normal brightly coloured uniform and domino mask to obscure his identity. "Hi, I'm Kid Flash." Wally mentally face palmed, how stupid did he sound? Of course Robin, The Boy Wonder would know who he was. God, what if Robin thought he was stupid? No, he wanted Robin to like him!

"Hi!" The boy answered grinning, looking him up and down before continuing. "Wally West, age 10, lives with your Uncle Barry Allen also known as the Flash. Attends Central City Middle School and is interested in Science. Got your powers after copying your uncle's accident. Nice to meet you."

Wally was sure his mouth had hit the floor, well roof top. How did-?. Oh, wait, was this what Uncle Barry had warned him about? Batman knew everything about everyone and had taught his skills to his sidekick.

"Em..." Brain engage, please! Come on Wally, say something smart!

"So are you going to give me a tour KF?"

"What?...Wait KF?"

"Yeah, short for Kid Flash and uncle Flash said you could give me a tour of Central, it's really different to Gotham apparently." Robin offered a grin, a tad teasing. Wally grinned back before they set off leaping across roof tops as he pointed out the sights. After about twenty minutes of running around they settled in a park near the city centre, sharing stories of fights and laughing at jokes.

"I have a feeling we're going to be best friends." Robin randomly said at the end of a story about a particularly pathetic villain in Gotham.

"Me too, you seem really nice." As soon as the words were out his mouth, Wally knew they were true. He really liked hanging out with Robin, the kid was nice and fun and just generally the hero he had hoped he would be. They continued to chat until Robin suddenly froze up, his hands freezing in the middle of demonstrating something.

"What is it?" KF whispered to his friend, knowing from his uncle's stories - if a bat freezes up then it is most likely bad and you should be prepared for trouble.

"Someone's here."

"Oh, come on, how did Baby Flash's friend sense us?" A voice whined from the shadows.

Wally would recognise that voice anywhere.

Rogues.

Great. Just great.

Seven figures walked out of the shadowy trees (what was it with dramatic entrances out of the dark today?). Captain Cold, Trickster, Captain Boomerang, Pied Piper, Mirror Master, Weather Wizard and Heatwave. Kid Flash ticked them off his mental checklist as they emerged - they were all here and they had no way to contact Batman or Flash (which probably hadn't been a great idea for them to wonder off with no way to contact anyone, he had a desperate hope that Robin had some way to contact the adults but he wasn't putting much chance on that).

"What do you want?" Wally asked. He suspected he already knew but was hoping he was wrong. It was a Saturday - the Rogues would always kidnap him every second Saturday (to Flash's annoyance) and he would spend the day with them. Trickster and Piper were the closest ones to him in terms of age which meant he spent most of his time with them during these days. They were late today - he had gotten so distracted by the idea of meeting Robin and Batman that he had forgotten about it. He loved spending time with them (although he would never admit it) but now was not the time. Flash only put up with it because he remained safe (and he couldn't stop them - no matter what he did if they wanted to find him they did. Aunt Iris was mainly entertained by the whole affair while uncle Barry spent time trying not to pull his hair out in frustration). Trickster and Piper were the closest ones to him in terms of age which meant he spent most of his time with them during these days.

"You know what day it is kid." Captain Cold, also known as Len, told him with a sigh. He was probably the most responsible member of the group, which wasn't hard.

"Yeah, but can't we do this another day? I'm supposed to be hanging out with Robin and if he gets hurt or left alone Batman will kill me!" Wally had heard stories about people that hurt Robin, and none of them ended well for the person who had hurt him. Said boy was now glaring at him. How did such a cute kid know the Bat glare? Wait, stupid question of course Batman had taught it to him.

"Oh, oh, oh! I have an idea! Why don't we kidnap him as well? Then all of us can hang out. He can join our family as Baby Bird. See he's even smaller than Baby Flash!" Trickster was jumping up and down, far too excited. He even picked up the Boy Wonder, hugging him tightly, much to the boy's protest (which went ignored).

Captain Cold seemed to mentally debate this for a while, then nodded his head. "Okay, we take both of them."

"Wait, don't I get a say in this?" Robin shouted as he was carried away from the park, still stuck in Trickster's arms. Kid Flash walked next to Piper, knowing he shouldn't resist. It always ended with him getting dragged along by a hyper Trickster.

* * *

When morning finally came, several hours later, the four boys (the two heroes and two youngest Rogues) were passed out on the couch in the Rogues not-so-secret hide out. They had spent hours playing video games and watching films - staying up far too late - before eventually giving into the pull of sleep. Robin had eventually stopped protesting and given in. He enjoyed himself (not that he would admit it), although he did hate the new nickname of Baby Bird - which was what all the rogues called him now.

Wally was the first to wake up and seeing the rising Sun quickly awoke the sleeping Bird and Rogues, knowing they had better get back to their mentors. He would never admit to panicking about the fact they had been missing so long - Flash would be okay once he explained what had happened (although he would be panicking until he found the pair of young heroes). Batman on the other hand would murder him if they didn't get back soon (he was pretty sure he was already towing the line seeing as they had been missing the whole night and, as the older hero and local hero, he figured he was probably in charge).

"Come visit again Baby Bird!" Trickster shouted as Kid Flash picked up Robin and ran back to the original roof top. Robin had complained about being picked up again (he wasn't that small!) but had given in when Kid Flash explained it was the fastest way back.

Both heroes were waiting on the original rooftop, Kid Flash winced noticing how angry the famed Dark Knight looked - and maybe a touch worried (he was less surprised by the actual emission but more with it being noticeable on his face) Flash stood at his side, leg bouncing but looking more amused than anything, he had initially panicked before realising what day it was (three hours after realising the kids should have been back and after speeding around the city checking everywhere six times) and calling Captain Cold who had told him where their charges were.

"Come on Robin, we're going home." Batman said taking his protege's hand as the pair walked back to their respective heroes. Soon the Dynamic Duo had disappeared again, heading back to their home city (hours later than they had intended too), leaving both Speedsters alone on the roof.

"Can Robin visit again?" Flash simply laughed before nodding, he was glad the kids got on (not that he had expected any less, but you never know). They sped back home, moving through the city as people started moving around getting ready for the day.

And visit again was what Robin did. Soon both boy's were as close as brothers and Robin even took KF to meet Speedy, creating the troublesome trio. Their mentors did occasionally regret introducing the three boys as they had a way of always finding trouble. The boys were always there for each other, both as heroes or as their civilian selves. After a few meetings, Robin told Kid Flash his identity and his story, making the boy's even closer before.

And that is how the best friends met and how Robin joined the 'I've been kidnapped by the Rogues club'. To Batman's horror and Flash's amusement, Robin often ended up kidnapped alongside Kid Flash to play with the Rogues when they were together in Central City.


	11. Meeting Aqualad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right so Robin is now eleven, so Kaldur is about 15/16.  
> I figured they clearly knew each other in episode 1 so how did they meet? Thus, this chapter.  
> Next chapter - let the trolling begin.

Aqualad, also known as Kaldur'ahm, had heard about the (many) surface heroes from his king. He had been particularly interested to learn of the younger heroes who were mentored be older heroes, working in similar capacities to him. Robin, the protégé of Batman, came up the most due to his young age, having been the first of the young heroes and his own King's encounters with the boy.

He had been quietly excited and more than a little curious when Aquaman had announced he would be taking him to explore the surface world more. However, they hadn't gotten far before his king had been called away for a mission with the Justice League (which Aqualad hadn't been allowed the details of let alone been able to take part in). That left Aqualad in his current position, standing on a secluded part of Happy Harbour beach, watching the coast and wondering if he should return underwater or wait for his mentor. Aquaman hadn't exactly been cleared as he rushed off. There was no one around as it was the middle of the night, the moon cast an odd light across the water which only served to make him more unsure of what he was supposed to be doing.

Kaldur had given up on standing alone on the beach about half an hour into his solitude, moving to settle on a rock amongst a series of rockpools. He was brought out of his melancholy thoughts by the sound of footprints in the sand, heading towards the rock he sat on. On the off-chance the stranger hadn't already seen him (the light wasn't particularly good and the footsteps still sounded a bit away) he swiftly and silently slid off his rock and ducked down behind one of the larger rocks. He didn't feel in the mood for company or trying to explain his presence in the middle of the night on a beach.

The footsteps fell silent as he waited, hoping the stranger would just leave. When he had heard nothing (aside from the rolling waves hitting the beach) for several minutes he dared to peak around the side of the rock. He was starting to feel a bit childish but couldn't bring himself to care much. He couldn't see anything; where had the footprints gone? Had he just imagined it all? He sighed to himself, clearly he was just overreacting. He moved back to his previous position on the rock. Just as he had started to relax, feeling slightly stupid for hiding, a figure appeared out of nowhere in front of him.

Aqualad leapt into a fighting stance, ready to fight this unknown silhouette. A civilian wouldn't have been able to appear like that, and no one should have been on the beach at this time of night. The figure (who was fairly short actually) walked into the dim moonlight, allowing Aqualad to get a better look of the unknown in front of him.

"Woah, Aqualad! I'm not going to hurt you." The figure announced, hands raised in the universal 'I surrender' sign. Kaldur was greeted with the sight of a kid (maybe about 10 or 11) dressed in a bright coloured costume with a cape and utility belt. A black domino mask covering his eyes, obscuring his identity. Definitely not a civilian. Something niggled in the back of his head - the bright coloured uniform and accessories sounded oddly familiar.

"Who are you?" Aqualad asked still in fighting stance, but starting to relax more at the lack of an attack.

"I'm Robin. Batman's partner." The now identified kid replied.

Aqualad felt a little bit sheepish now - that was why the kid had sounded familiar, Aquaman had described the younger half of the Dynamic Duo to him before. "Ah, I am Aqualad" He paused, remembering how the younger hero had greeted him. "Although you already knew that. If you do not mind me asking, what are you here for?" Aqualad settled back down on his rock, still watching Robin. Robin sat down next to him.

"Kaldur'ahm right? I just wanted to keep you company. Batman is on a mission with Aquaman, Superman and Wonder Woman. Aquaman had mentioned you were supposed to be exploring the surface so I figured you had probably been left on your own. Flash, Green Arrow and Green Lantern are supposed to be watching me at the Watch Tower but I snuck away." Robin grinned across at Kaldur'ahm.

"You are correct, but how did you escape and why?" Kaldur'ahm was curious to know more about this hero's skills and why he had decided to join him on the beach.

"Let's just say it involved glitter, paint, a rubber duck and a game of hide 'n' seek. I'm pretty sure they should have learnt not to play hide 'n' seek with me by now, I always win. And why? Well you seemed a bit down and in need of a friend. Can I call you Kaldur? It's a lot shorter than Kaldur'ahm." Robin tilted his head to the side with wide eyes, noticeable even though they were hidden beneath his mask, looking at Kaldur questioningly. The now named Kaldur smiled and nodded his head in answer to the younger boy. The hero seemed nice and it would be good to have an actual friend on the surface.

"If I may ask, how old are you?" Kaldur questioned, the bird seemed young to be fighting crime.

"I'm eleven. I don't see how Batman feels I still need a babysitter. It's not like I can't defend myself - I've been doing this since I was six." Robin crossed his arms. Kaldur glanced at the scowling boy, he knew he was young but to have started at six was something else entirely.

"So ... what's wrong?" Robin asked bluntly, face smoothing out of the scowl into a more neutral expression.

"How do you know anything is wrong?" Kaldur asked curious.

"I'm Batman's protégé." Was the simple reply.

Kaldur gave a sigh. "I do not know if I am doing well. My king has not said much to me and being abandoned here had not reassured me."

Robin looked at him, expression softening into an understanding look. "Batman's like that with me. More about criticism for my mistakes then praising what I've have done right. But I know I'm doing well because I am improving and there are less things for Batman to criticize, it's just his way of showing he cares. You are doing really well, believe me. I have heard about your work under the sea and whenever I talk to Aquaman he tells me all about you, he is proud of how you are doing." Robin offered a gentle smile to Kaldur.

Meanwhile Kaldur was having a mental debate with himself. He honestly wanted to believe Robin, and the kid presented evidence to back up his kind words, but he didn't know the boy particularly well yet. After a few more minutes of debating, Kaldur decided to believe the young hero. He looked up and nodded his thanks, he appreciated that the other hero hadn't tried to say anything - just left him to organise his thoughts.

"How about I tell you some stories to cheer you up?" And with that announcement Robin dived into stories about the Leaguers, Batman and even a few about Aquaman. Both good stories and more entertaining ones. Easy to say it did cheer Kaldur up, especially the stories of the elder heroes messing up (sometimes in a spectacular fashion).

For the rest of the night the two boys chatted and exchanged stories until their mentors came and found them in the early hours of the morning. The sun was rising in the distance creating a beautiful sunset and casting lovely light across the beach. Batman was only a little angry at Robin for running away from the Watch Tower but gave him a small smile that only Robin could see. Happy to see the two young heroes getting along, Robin needed more friends, and Aqualad seemed a much more mature presence than Speedy and Kid Flash. Aquaman was just as happy to see the boys get along, but showed it more openly.

And that is how Aqualad and Robin met and became friends. Robin later introduced his new friend to Roy and Wally, and the four of them spent many a day complaining about their mentors and sharing advice.

«««««««««««««««««««««« Meanwhile at the Watch Tower »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»

"ROBIN!" A glitter covered Green Arrow screamed.

A paint covered (pink to his disgust, he claimed he was allergic to pink) Green Lantern stood next to him equally angry.

Flash meanwhile was doubled over laughing at his unfortunate team mates, wishing he had a camera and planning to get the security tape from Robin. The kid was undoubtedly recording the chaos.

They had spent hours looking for the hidden Bird, though they should really have known better than to have played hide 'n' seek with that sneaky little hero.

All three of knew that if they couldn't find him, Daddy Bats would kill them.

The only thing they had found was a bright yellow rubber duck, with a recording of Robin's terrifying cackle. On loop. And they couldn't stop it.

Little did they know the Bird was long gone from the Watch Tower.


	12. Getting the Okay and Training

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we have finished with the introductions and are now onto the trolling.  
> So this one is set in early season 1 (so no Zatanna and Rocket yet).
> 
> Robin gets permission from Batman to tell the team his identity and Robin decides to troll his team and let them try and figure it out. Wally knows his identity but not all his skills (he's the only one in the team that does know his identity).  
> Starting with training - Wally doesn't think it's fair that the little Bird doesn't train with them and to prove he does train he fights everyone on the team. (Because we all know he is the most capable at this time).
> 
> I can't really write fight scenes but I will try.

"So ... I can tell them?" The boy questioned for what seemed like the millionth time but in reality was only about the 13th.

"...yes." The Dark Knight replied hesitantly. He was starting to regret his decision.

The mischievous little Bird grinned evilly and gave a spine shivering cackle, that almost _, almost_ , made him pity his protege's teammates.

"Just don't kill anyone. I do not want to explain to their mentors how you destroyed them." Batman turned with a sigh, mentally already planning to watch the CTV from Mount Justice to see what chaos his little Bird had planned for his friends.

Robin grinned and ran off back to base, getting ready to start Operation Troll The Team.

For the rest of the day an early cackle was heard around Mount Justice unnerving the residents (especially Wally as he had the best idea of what Robin was up to).

* * *

"Oomph!" Kid Flash was slammed to the ground for the sixth time in two minutes by Black Canary.

His teammates stood to the side watching the duel. It was a normal training day with Black Canary leading, she was trying desperately to get them to take training more serious - they needed to learn new skills both as individuals and as a team.

Aqualad was assessing Kid Flash's technique, Superboy was being his normal grumpy self, M'gann was chatting to Superboy-not really caring if he wasn't paying attention (which he wasn't really), Artemis was chuckling at Kid Flash's misfortune and Robin? Robin wasn't even restraining himself that much - he was laughing his head off at his friends defeat.

"If you think it's so funny, why don't you try?" Kid Flash shouted at his friend. Getting more than a little frustrated at his continuous defeat and annoyed at his friend's laughter. Superboy, M'gann and Artemis stopped what they were doing to watch the upcoming argument, not bothering to hide their interest. Aqualad just sighed, knowing the situation was about to deteriorate.

"No thanks, Bat's training is tiring enough!" Robin replied finally managing to calm himself down, only grinning now instead of full laughter.

"I agree with Kid Flash, Robin. I believe it would be beneficial for the team if we saw your training." Aqualad stepped in before Kid Flash could shoot a reply back. His statement was true, the youngest member of their team definitely had the most training, plus it would stop the oncoming argument about to erupt between the speedster and bird.

"I don't know -." Robin started to say, grin fading.

"Yeah, come on Bird Boy. Show us your 'asterous' fighting moves then." KF teased his friend, crawling his way off the mat, groaning as he stretched his aching muscles.

The rest of the team spoke up agreeing with Kid Flash and Aqualad, eager to see Robin fighting more outside of the field. They all looked to their youngest teammate expectantly. Black Canary watched the team argue amongst themselves, arms crossed and a smirk on her lips. There was a good reason that she rarely focussed individually on Robin during training (teamwork was another matter entirely).

With a sigh Robin replied, "Fine, but instead of fighting BC, why don't each of you fight me?" He looked back at Black Canary for her consent, he found her not even bothering to hide her grin, they both knew the team's individual skills and abilities, and the most likely outcome of the upcoming fights. Everyone quickly agreed, some more enthusiastic than others. Kid Flash was now less frustrated and thinking a bit more clearly, maybe this wasn't the best idea? Nah, everything would be fine.

"Who's up first?" Robin asked already moving towards the middle of the training area.

"Oh, oh, me, pick me!" Kid Flash jumped up and down playfully trying to get his best friend's attention.

"Fine KF, come on." Robin chuckled at his friends childish action. His friend grinned at him before moving to join his teammate. The two boys faced opposite each other both in a fighting stance. Black Canary gave the signal to start and KF sped off, running literal circles around Robin who hadn't moved yet. Then Robin ducked a punch at high speed and stuck his foot out to trip KF up. Kid Flash tumbled forward, unable to stop, falling face first into a wall. He managed to drag himself back up and started to run again towards Robin.

Robin seemed to anticipate this and flipped Kid Flash over his shoulders with practised ease, then he leaned down to the floored hero and pressed a pressure point making the speedster limp on the floor.

"Kid Flash fail." the computer voice announced to the onlooking teammates and chuckling mentor.

"What did you do to me!" KF shouted in a panic from the floor, unable to move an inch.

"Chill, Flash Boy. It was a pressure point, you're just paralyzed for now." Robin cackled at his friend. Sitting down next to him, legs crossed.

"You did not just go there! Un-paralyze me, now!" KF whined at his friend. In reply Robin stuck out his tongue and pressed a few points on his friend's shoulder, letting him move once more. After KF dragged himself once more out of the training area, Artemis stepped forward with her bow at the ready. She was determined to do better than the annoying speedster, how hard could it be? Robin had barely moved against Kid Flash.

Once again Black Canary started the duel. Artemis immediately started shooting at the Bird, who started doing flips and cartwheels to avoid the rapid fire of arrows heading his way. Robin leapt towards Artemis, flipping up onto her shoulders - then in her confusion and panicked attempts to remove him, he jumped back off. He knocked away her bow and tossed her to the ground with a quick flurry of punches.

"Artemis fail." The monotone computer announced, barely heard over a groaning archer. She collected her bow and moved out of the way, back to join her watching teammates

M'gann cautiously stepped forward to meet Robin who was still in the training area cackling. She was feeling more nervous now than when they suggested this whole affair. As soon as the match was started she lifted him off the ground, trying to enter Robin's mind. To her shock she was met with a ticket booth and barrier standing in her way - Robin was blocking her out of his mind. A sharp push sent her flying out of his mind, causing her to lose her concentration on keeping the other hero in the air. Robin landed softly on the ground, quickly bouncing up to knock the dizzy Martian down onto the floor.

"Miss Martian fail."

The rest of the team were shocked, it was one thing to beat the two most human members of the team, but Miss Martian? That was something else. Maybe there was a reason he had seemed so confident and Black Canary hadn't interfered.

Aqualad bravely stepped forward eager to assess his teammate and yet cautious to what the Bird might do. The previous matches had revealed how well trained their youngest member was, he'd had no problems taking down half their team. Robin grinned at his opponent as Aqualad held his water bearers at the ready. This time as soon as Black Canary announced the start of the fight Robin moved into action by attempting a round house kick. Aqualad grabbed his on coming leg and shoved him backwards. Robin ran back at Aqualad looking like he was about to start punching before summersaulted over him. Swiftly kicking Aqualad's feet out from under him, before he could turn around.

Aqualad failed to stay upright, falling to the ground, he sent a wave of water at Robin as he scrambled to get back to his feet. Robin, who had luckily seen it coming, ducked under it and punched Aqualad in the gut, making him lose his concentration resulting in the water falling to the floor. He knocked Aqualad back to the floor in the midst of him trying to get back up, knocking his water bearers away and trapping him on the ground.

"Aqualad fail."

Robin offered Aqualad a hand, helping him to his feet. He collected his water bearers, brushing invisible dirt of him and moving to join their watching teammates who were doing a brilliant impression of gobsmacked fish. Apart from Superboy who stood, arms crossed, looking more grudgingly impressed than shocked. Superboy stepped forward, past their gaping teammates to join Robin on the floor. He was confident that Robin wouldn't beat him - he was Superman's (growl) clone after all. The other's were understandable but he was a different story. Robin smirked obviously knowing what Superboy was thinking, unseen by the young heroes Black Canary rolled her eyes. She liked Superboy but she knew his overconfidence was falsely placed.

Superboy was the first one to move as Black Canary started the match. He charged forward, hoping to use his brute strength against the nimble Robin. Unfortunately for him Robin had been expecting this and skidded under Superboy's legs. He turned around mid-skid, to face the other hero, who had ran into the wall, unable to stop his charge in time. He shook the dust off himself, turning back to his opponent. Robin gave a small chuckle, Superboy's expression was like a bull's in a ring. Very angry.

He charged once again ready to knock the hero to the ground. This time Robin swiftly side stepped and punched him in the head then, like he did to KF, pinched a pressure point on his shoulder, forcing the angry clone to collapse on the floor.

"Superboy fail."

Robin's teammates were shocked, how could the youngest and most human (not including Artemis, who was older and could defend herself better) take out metahumans and aliens a lot more powerful than himself?

Robin simply gave a spine shivering cackle and disappeared into the shadows. Black Canary rolled her eyes at the youngest hero, before turning to the rest of the team to cover what they had done wrong - they clearly needed more training.

It was five hours later when his friends finally found him and got him to answer all their questions. (Which he mostly replied 'Classified' to, having read a spy book (Alex Rider) earlier and thinking that this would really annoy his teammates - it did).

Yes, Operation Troll The Team was a go.

The team better watch itself, for a trolling Bird was an extremely dangerous Bird.


	13. Acrobatics 3+1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The trolling has begun - Robin is dropping hints about his identity and they don't even know.  
> This is a 3+1 thing - Robin showing off his acrobatic skills. Three times they saw him and one time he showed them.  
> (Still set in season 1).  
> Anyway enjoy and thank you for reading!

**1**

The first time the team saw Robin use acrobatics was on a mission.

It was supposed to be a covert mission (as most of their missions were supposed to be). A simple sneak in, do surveillance to get information and sneak back out. Of course it went wrong almost immediately and the villains (who couldn't really be officially called villains - they only had some half baked plan that would never work) were alerted to their presence. On this occasion (like many) it was due to Kid Flash and Artemis getting into an argument which escalated from their mental link to full out shouting.

It quickly lead to them fighting the group of extreme eco geeks, who were just a bit over the top (meaning they wanted to destroy half the human race, claiming less people meant less pollution - it would never work but it was easier to stop the nonsense now before it got any worse). The team had abandoned their hiding places around the warehouse they were in, brawling in the main hall. They weren't doing too badly despite being greatly out numbered, which of course is when things went downhill. More thugs entered the room and the team were soon surrounded by a group of well armed thugs. The fighting paused, both sides playing a game of chicken to see who would move first. To everyone's surprise Robin was the first to move - launching himself up off of Superboy who launched him up into the rafters on reflex, and disappearing from view. Thankfully it had distracted the thugs surrounding them and allowing them to leap back into action.

The team expected Robin to try and climb down carefully and re-join the fight, but to their continued surprise Robin had instead gracefully leapt across the rafters until he was on top of the largest group of thugs. With a double flip he landed on one of the thugs who had been about to shoot Artemis (she had been facing the other direction, offering cover to Aqualad) with some unknown weapon.

The acrobatics continued throughout the fight. Any time a team member glanced his way he was in the midst of some acrobatic feet - a flip here, a cartwheel there and even the occasional back flip. Even Wally who knew who Robin was and seen him use acrobatics before, was shocked at how graceful his friend was even in the midst of a fight, incorporating his acrobatics into his fighting style with ease. So it was no surprise that after all the thugs were knocked out and they had retrieved the information needed (mostly on the unknown weapons), that the team surrounded Robin and started firing off questions rapidly.

"How did you do that -?"

"What was that-?"

"Can you show me how to -?"

"Growl-?"

Aqualad, being the rational and mature one, silenced his teammates and asked calmly. "How did you preform those tricks my friend?"

But the only answer the team received was. "An old family secret." Leaving the team even more confused than before, at least they had gotten the info they were sent for.

* * *

**2**

The second time the team saw their youngest member's acrobatic skills, was back in Mount Justice.

The whole team was relaxing after a (rare successful) mission. Everyone was in their civilian clothing and enjoying the down time. M'gann was cooking cookies (and burning said cookies), Conner was attacking a punching bag (imagining it was the Blue Boy Scout himself, Superman), Artemis and Wally were arguing (about whether ornithophobia was a real fear. Wally said it was, he claimed to have it, and Artemis denied it was a real thing and that he had it), Kaldur was attempting to read a book (and failing) while being in two metres of the arguing love birds, well archer and speedster (the book had something to do with wizards on a glance at the front cover, beginning with a P) and Robin was no where to be seen.

"Hey where's Robin?" Wally questioned, getting bored of arguing with Artemis.

Everyone looked up at the question but nobody had an answer. They had heard him enter the cave and had seen him before he disappeared about an hour or so ago.

"How about we go look for him. Then maybe we can do some team building?" Suggested Aqualad always the calm mature one. Everyone nodded and agreed to start looking, splitting up to search the base. They searched for about half an hour before giving up and collapsing on a couch/chair in the main sitting room.

"Wait, I think I can hear his heart beats coming from the training room." Conner sat up, concentrating.

"Why didn't you do that before?" Wally whined.

Conner shrugged in response, then started walking towards the training area, everyone else trailing behind. They followed him all the way to the entrance of one of the smaller training rooms, the door had been left slightly open - allowing them to see all the gymnastic equipment. It was a smaller training room that was rarely used by the majority of the team; mainly due to it being filled with gymnastic equipment and trapeze equipment. They barely entered the room before spotting the missing team member - he was swinging on parallel bars doing intricate tricks often featured in the Olympics.

They watched entranced as he did series of swings and flips, moving elegantly between the bars and continuing to do tricks with practised ease, then he transferred gracefully to the balance beam. Robin was an incredibly skilled acrobat but arguably the most amazing thing was that like the others he was in civilian clothes and wearing his feature sunglasses - no one had an idea how they were staying on. He didn't seem to notice them and silently glancing at each other they tried to back out of the room.

They were stopped in their tracks by Robin shouting from the midst of a cartwheel along the balance beam. "Ornithophobia is real, it's the fear of birds! But Wally is scared of ducks specifically!"

"You're afraid of ducks!?"

* * *

**3**

The third time the team saw Robin doing acrobatics was in Happy Harbour. The team had been enjoying a free day in town, they had been to the cinema for a 'teambuilding exercise' (that was how they justified it to Batman and managed to secure the free day), and to introduce Conner, M'gann and Kaldur to more Earth and land culture.

Nothing had happened when they were at the cinema, in fact they all had a nice time watching a movie, eating popcorn and other cinema treats. They had all enjoyed 'How to Train Your Dragons' (it had been part of the agreement that they saw something age appropriate for all of them).

It was after the movie that things went wrong. Because things always went wrong with them, it was inevitable. They had been strolling back to the mountain, chatting away (Wally and Artemis weren't even arguing), when a scream caught their attention. Ever the heroes, they all rushed to see what was wrong with a single glance. They followed as Conner lead the way to the source of the noise, ending up at the entrance of a dirty back alley. Down the alley they found a teenage girl, no older than 15, being mugged with a guy with a knife. She had stopped screaming, just whispering as she tried to avoid the knife she was being threatened with.

It took them a second to react but it was a second too late. Robin, still in civilian clothes and wearing his signature sunglasses, dived or more accurately flipped into action. He seemed to do some kind of dance with the man, half way through a cartwheel he kicked the knife out of his hand and leapt into a flurry of punches, knocking the mugger out. Artemis pulled the girl out of the way, comforting her as she started to cry as Wally pulled out his phone to call the police.

No one questioned Robin's acrobatic moves, they were way too used to it by now and accepted it as part of the Boy Wonder's fighting style. He used it in most of the fights they had gotten into. At least the situation hadn't delved into uncontrollable chaos as many of their missions did.

* * *

** +1 **

The team were back in the cave again, relaxing on a hot summers day. They had given up trying to do anything as it was far too hot, deciding that lying around and enjoying the air conditioning was the best use of their time. The only person missing was Robin who, according to Wally, was using his 'freaky ninja skills' to disappear. As if by magic, said 'freaky ninja' appeared from down the corridors with a giant grin on his face.

"I have something to show you, follow me!" Robin than bounced away, back down the corridor towards the training rooms. After getting over the initial shock of him appearing (and the energy he had - it was far too hot for actual movement), everyone leapt up and shuffled after the Boy Wonder. They were led back to the training room full of gymnastic/trapeze equipment and herded into the room with a perfect view of the trapeze.

Robin grinned at their confused faces and sprinted up to the trapeze. Wally smirked guessing what Robin was going to do and knowing the others would be shocked and impressed by their youngest teammate. Robin climbed up to the top platform of the trapeze, waving at the onlookers before launching himself of the platform without a care. Wally laughed at the panicked look on his teammates face - there wasn't even a net below the trapeze (not that it mattered when they were literally all heroes - one who could run really fast and one that could fly). He proceeded to perform a whole act on the trapeze.

It was stunning. Robin flew gracefully, performing tricks left and right, seemingly flying through the air without any worries. He looked truly free in a way they rarely saw. After ten minutes of intricate tricks, Robin swung himself back onto the starting platform, took a deep breath and leapt off.

He did one flip.

Two flips.

Three flips.

Four flips.

...five flips.

Robin caught a lose rope, purposely hanging down the side of the trapeze, using it to control his fall. Landing on the floor with a forward roll, launching himself straight back to his feet and taking a bow. Grinning widely at his onlooking team mates. Their expressions ranged from smug (Wally) to bemused (Artemis) to amazed (M'gann) to mildly surprised (Conner) and oddly proud (Kaldur). They had gotten used to Robin using his acrobatics during fights but to see him perform like that on a trapeze was an entirely different matter.

"Was that a quintuple flip? No one's ever done that before! The best was the Flying Graysons who could perform a quadruple flip!" Artemis exclaimed, crossing her arms on her chest. Wally was the only one who noticed Robin's slight flinch at the Flying Graysons, though that was likely as he was the only one to actually know to look for it.

"Woah Arty calm down!" Wally tried to spare his friend. Calling her 'Arty' usually distracted her enough that she forgot her previous chain of thoughts.

"Answer the questions Boy Wonder!" Artemis continued ignoring Wally. She wasn't really expecting an answer, anytime they had asked before he had only offered a smug smirk. Which is why they were incredibly surprised when he did offer some answer.

"I did acrobatics a lot when I was a kid. I thought you guys deserved to know, plus there isn't much to do at the minute. Also, yes Artemis that was a quintuple flip, I've been practising it for a while." Robin replied calmly.

And that was clue number 1 for the team, he did acrobatics (at a very skilled level).

If only the team realized that Robin was giving them hints to his identity, they might have had a better chance to try and figure out his identity.


	14. Hide and Seek Training Exercise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this one is still set in early season 1 (still no Zatanna or Rocket).  
> The team has the brilliant idea to play hide 'n' seek as a training exercise.  
> ...I think everyone can guess how it went but please read anyway.  
> Thank you all for reading and please enjoy.  
> Robyn

When Aqualad suggested an idea for a new training exercise, everyone was excited to have a go at something different (well most of the team were), something aimed to help them practice their stealth skills (as most of their missions were supposed to be stealth based - not that they usually ended that way). Most of the time training was just them beating each up or Black Canary beating them up, so a chance at something new could only be good (they hoped). Kaldur's announcement that the new training would be in the form of hide 'n' seek was met with different reactions from everyone.

M'gann was curious and looking forward to playing this foreign game, Superboy was as passive as ever, Artemis looked mildly annoyed about having to play a 'childish' game, Robin grinned an insanely evil grin and Wally screamed at the top of his voice "NO!"

Wally's unexpected outburst caused everyone to look at him confused.

At everyone's looks, Wally continued. "No offence Kaldur. It's a good idea, but you never play hide 'n' seek with Mr Ninja Bird over there!" He pointed at Robin (who tried to look innocent - with fairly good success) as if there was another so called Ninja Bird in the room.

Kaldur smiled gently, at the explanation. "Thank you Wally but I have already informed me of previous incidents, which is why I thought it would be a wise idea for Robin to be the seeker."

Wally grinned in relief and Robin pouted.

"Robin, are you pouting?" Artemis asked the Bird.

"No!" The Bird answered quickly, changing his expression to a small smile.

"Em...what is hide 'n' seek?"

* * *

It took twenty minutes to explain to the alien and clone what hide 'n' seek actually was (twelve times - Wally had kept count) and decide on the rules. The only rules (aside from the normal ones) they had decided on were no hiding in anyone's room, leaving the cave, or excessive use of their powers (M'gann wasn't allowed to go invisible, and the others couldn't use their powers to go places Robin couldn't get them).

Another ten minutes later everyone was spread across the cave, hiding as Robin finished his countdown (they only actually had thirty seconds to hide, it had taken another nine minutes to go over the rules several times again).

"Five Supermen...Four Green Arrows...Three Wonder Women...Two Flashes...One Batman...Coming, ready or not." Robin's voice echoed round the cave. (When Artemis questioned it later he said it was a more exciting version of counting than elephants).

He looked around the entrance hall where he had been counting first, upon finding nothing Robin started moving through the cave. He wandered into the kitchen, positive he had heard someone running in this direction. He looked around and in every cupboard (even the ones that were too small for someone to actually fit into - you never know). Sure enough, true to form, Wally was hiding in a cupboard near the floor eating cookies.

"Em..elho...ont un." Wally tried to say, his mouth full of chocolate chip cookies as he tumbled out of the cupboard. Robin refused the offered cookie and continued the search. One down, four to go.

This time he headed towards the training rooms. There was no one in plain sight, but then again that's the whole point of the game. He moved around the one of the side training rooms (made for long range attacks - so Artemis's favourite room), looking and listening for any signs of his hiding teammate. JAs he was heading around the room he heard a sneeze, coming from the archery range. He quickened his pace moving towards the source of the sound. Robin peered behind an archery target only to find Artemis with her hand over her nose and mouth, trying to hide her sneeze. She grinned a bit sheepishly as she noticed Robin, with a sigh she pulled herself to her feet and headed to the entrance hall (where they had agreed to wait once caught). Two down, three to go.

Robin continued his wandering, moving towards the pool, 98 percent sure that Kaldur was hiding there. As usual Robin was right. It only took a minute for him to spot Kaldur hiding in a dark corner of the pool once he entered the room. Kaldur offered a nod, surfacing out of water and heading to join Wally and Artemis. Three down, two to go and it had only taken six minutes so far.

That left the only two people still hiding as Superboy and Miss Martian. Ironically the two that didn't know what hide 'n' seek was. Robin continued his movement through the cave, passing Wolf in the hanger who didn't even look up from his nap. Finding nothing, he decided to head back towards the communal areas and see of he could find them there. He moved to the main lounge first, looking around the room he couldn't find anything. He looked behind the sofas and shelves still coming up empty. As he headed towards the exit he suddenly had a thought and looked up towards the ceiling - sure enough M'gann was floating in the corner (she had been moving so she was always above him in the room so he wouldn't spot her). With a smiles she floated down to the floor and left for the entrance hall to meet the others. Four down, one to go - Superboy had won.

Robin still needed to find him though. He searched everywhere without any luck. After twenty minutes of nothing, he returned back to the entrance hall to grab the rest of the team to act as extra eyes, dragging them around behind him as he searched through the cave again. They headed back towards the training rooms, speeding up when they heard thuds and faint voices.

Upon entering the main training room they were greeted with the sight of Superboy and Black Canary in a sparring match, which Black Canary was winning. The team watched the pair as they continued fighting, not acknowledging their entrance.

"What are you doing?" Robin questioned, slightly confused.

"Training." Superboy grunted at the group. Moving to dodge a punch from Black Canary.

"You're supposed to be hiding." Wally reminded him.

Black Canary finally took Superboy down, dusting off her hands, turning to face the team as she offered Superboy a hand up. "What's this about hiding?"

Kaldur stepped forward as the leader and explained what they were doing. Superboy moved to join the team and Black Canary started grinning as Kaldur explained (especially the part about Robin being the seeker).

"So, what happens now that Superboy won?" Miss Martian questioned.

Robin quickly shot forward to explain before anyone else could. "You play again except this time the person who was found first as the seeker in this case, Wally!"

Robin darted off, going to hide before anyone could stop him. Artemis looked at Kid Flash's shocked expression and ran away to hide, laughing. Superboy and Miss Martian quickly joined them, leaving Aqualad with Kid Flash. Aqualad smiled sadly at Kid Flash before going off to hide, this round would take a bit longer.

It took KF a few seconds to remember he was supposed to be counting, still shocked over his team's disappearing act. Once he had finished his countdown, he reluctantly began searching the cave. It took a little longer for him to find everyone (they had learnt their lesson from last time), well apart from Superboy, who was still a bit confused about the rules. It took him twenty five minutes to collect most of the team, the only person still left to find was, of course, Robin. Having sped through the cave three times Wally recruited the rest of the team to help him.

The whole team spent two hours looking for him. Kid Flash spent the whole time muttering under his breath. Artemis who was standing next to him, only caught a few words. Ninja...Bird...annoying...kill...Daddy Bats...rubber duck. She didn't question the last one, she was getting used to his weirdness, she just rolled her eyes at him.

The team walked back into the main room, looking intensely at everything that was a possible hiding spot (and even those that weren't - who knew where Robin could be hiding). Just as they were about to give up, wandering back towards the entrance hall, they heard some faint banging from above. At that moment Kid Flash felt like an idiot. Where was Robin's favourite hiding place and the only place that they hadn't checked? The vents.

"Robin come out of the vents. None of us are small enough to fit in them!" Kid Flash shouted in the vague direction the banging came from.

Robin's terrifying cackle was heard and seconds later the boy appeared. On Superboy's shoulders.

How did he even get up there?

Oh wait. He's Bat, they always do strange stuff.

"What took you so long? I almost fell asleep!" Robin smirked at everyone's stunned faces.

They should really get used to getting shocked/stunned/surprised by their youngest teammate, Robin was planning on trolling the team for a long time yet.


	15. Sugar High, Uh Oh!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is up - Robin on a sugar high.  
> Warning: craziness and randomness ahead.  
> Thanks for reading and please enjoy.  
> Robyn

"How on earth did we end up in this situation, again?!" Artemis sighed.

The situation she was referring to was M'gann, Conner, Kaldur and her all super glued to the wall of the mountain. Artemis was painted silver, M'gann had pink hair, Conner had a toy monkey stuck to his head and his face was painted like a clowns and Kaldur had a fake mermaids tail on.

Wally was nowhere to be seen. They hadn't seen him in a while and were slightly scared to see what had happened to him.

The answer to Artemis' question was Robin.

M'gann had been baking extra sugary cookies (she had been getting better at baking - these ones were only mildly burnt) to celebrate a successful mission and Artemis had brought in Dr Pepper for all of them to drink.

Of course they didn't know giving Robin sugar was a bad thing, a very bad thing. Well, Wally did, but he had been forgotten and ignored (I believe the team's actual answer was "stop being so dramatic" (from Artemis specifically)).

So after Robin had a couple of cookies (twelve) and a few Dr Peppers (seven) he had started to vibrate like a speedster, it was at that moment Wally noticed how many cans an cookies he's had (and the stories from his uncle), he had quickly shouted to the team to grab him, but in the confusion Robin had gotten away.

That had been half an hour ago. They had woken up ten minutes ago having been mysteriously attached to the wall (and having no memories of falling unconscious) and Wally had disappeared twelve minutes ago.

How Robin had attached them to the wall was a mystery. One that would most likely never be solved.

All of a sudden, out of the shadows Robin appeared. Grinning evilly and wearing a fake moustache.

Wait, hadn't Wally shouted something about a moustache before he disappeared?

Robin cackled like an insane man, well insane little Bird.

"Having fun?" He questioned, then proceeded to ignore their shouts and protests. He twirled the corner of his moustache.

"So Kaldur, I have a few questions for you." Kaldur paled and Artemis felt both pity for her leader and relief that she hadn't been chosen.

"Haveyouwatvchedthelittlemermaid?"Robin fired of questions rapidly at the team leader. "Ihave,wecanplaylittlemermaidyoucanbeArielseeingasyouliveunderthesea!whydon'tyouhaveafishtail?" Robin talked, doing a brilliant impression of a speedster.

Kaldur'ahm face was shocked and confused, he had not understood any of that.

"Hey Arty, Arty, Arty, Arty, Arty, Arty, Arty! Do you like your new colour, it suits you!" Robin was bouncing up and down.

"Conner, Conner, Conner, you need to smile to be a clown!" Robin continued to bounce, smiling widely.

His answer was a growl from the angry clone. He had been trying to break free from the superglue since he had woken up stuck to the wall, with no success.

"Robin, what is wrong with you?" M'gann asked confused, she didn't know what was going on, but it must be serious if it made her friend act like this.

Robin didn't reply and simply ran off.

M'gann turned, as much as she could stuck to the wall, to her teammates confused. "It's okay M'gann, he is just on a sugar rush." Artemis continued at her friends look. "It's when you go really hyper after having to much sugar. Although this one is extreme - I've never seen anything like it." M'gann relaxed, glad to know her friend wasn't ill.

Three minutes later Robin suddenly bounced back in with a hose, pointing it at the four of them. "Don't you dare Robin!" Artemis warned the hyper boy. She had already reached her limit of crazy - but she did not want to be soaked. In response Robin laughed and turned on the hose, soaking the four heroes and releasing them from the glue. By the time Artemis had gotten fully unstuck and helped her friends get free, Robin was gone again. The water however hadn't done anything for their previous make-overs as the paint and hair dye seemed to be waterproof. Because of course they didn't have any luck with that.

Oh, Robin was going to get it later, he now had four dripping wet teammates out for his head.

"Honestly, what did Batman teach that kid?" Artemis muttered to herself.

The four of them decided to stick together (thinking there would be safety in numbers) and carefully made their way to the main room. M'gann (the first one through the door) took one step into the room and was suddenly hanging upside down.

"Traps? Really Robin?" Artemis shouted in frustration after seeing M'gann slowly spinning around, upside down.

Said boy was suddenly hanging upside down from the air vents, a gun pointed at them.

"Dance! Dance My slaves! Dance!" Robin cackled as he fired the paintball gun at his teammates' feet.

To add to the torture Robin started to sing. Very out of tune, like a drunken man.

To the tune of Old MacDonald.

"Oh, Old McBatman had a team, E-I-E-I-O and on that team he had an archer. With a shoot shoot here and a shoot shoot there, here a shoot, there a shoot, everywhere a shoot shoot."

"My ears!" Artemis screamed, trying to cover her ears and dodge paint. She failed at both.

The bird continued onto the second verse.

"Old MacBatman had a team E-I-E-I-O and on that team he had a speedster. With a zoom zoom here and a zoom zoom there, here a zoom, there a zoom, everywhere a zoom zoom."

As sudden as the Bird had appeared, he vanished. The site he left was an angry clone, archer, Martian and Atlantian all covered in multi coloured paint.

The four heroes continued their dangerous quest to the kitchen, getting caught in a few traps on the way.

Robin appeared again and used Conner as a jungle gym. The clone tried to catch the Bird, but, well, the keyword was tried. He did a bunch of tricks then vanished again. Continuing his pattern of appearing, causing new chaos, and then vanishing.

Everyone one was disturbed by the sudden silence, having not seen their youngest team member in fifteen minutes. They had started trying to anticipate the Bird's next arrival, feeling paranoid. But he did not appear again.

When they finally arrived in the kitchen twenty minutes later, they found a sleeping Robin, with his moustache half on, lying on top of the counter. As soon as the group of heroes walked into the room, Robin woke up.

"Ugh, what happened? Why are you...you know what I don't want to know why you look like that." Robin muttered, rubbing his eyes.

"You went on as sugar rush. Do you seriously not remember anything?" Kaldur asked, trying to stop Artemis from shooting the little Bird.

"Nope, don't remember anything from the past hour or so. It usually happens after a sugar rush for me. It's why I'm not allowed sugar much." Robin sat up and turned to face the group.

"Hey, where's Wally?"

* * *

"Hello. Anyone there?" Wally asked the dark room. He was unnerved by the silence.

As soon as he finished speaking, the lights came on.

Wally was temporarily blinded, but when he finally managed to get his eyes to adjust to the lack of light he found his feet had been handcuffed together and his hands were handcuffed to a pipe that ran behind him. That's when he noticed what was in the small dark room with him.

"Noooooooooooooooooo!" Wally screamed.

All around him to his horror, were rubber ducks.

Big ones, small ones, multi coloured ones, comedic ones, seasonal ones. Any and every type.

And Wally was deathly afraid of ducks.

To add to his growing terror, the ducks started cackling, but not just any cackle. It was Robin's cackle.

"HELP!"

* * *

"Well, wherever he is, I'm sure he's fine."


	16. Romani

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary: On a mission Robin gets hit by a weird Ray gun thing that makes him only able to speak in his native language, Romani, leaving the team absolutely confused. Poor Wally only knows a few words, so Robin gets to have fun and troll the team!  
> Sorry, I have to use Romanian as I can't find Romani and I am pretty sure it isn't a written language. Also apologies for inevitable mistakes.  
> Still season 1 (no Zatanna or Rocket).  
> They watch Amazing Spiderman 2, so SPOILER ALERT I REPEAT SPOILER ALERT! (But there is a warning later on)  
> By the way I love Percy Jackson, the Titan's Curse isn't my favourite but I still love it, and yeah, I just had to add that.  
> The whole movie thing I will be back to with the Lion king later but I wanted to do that.  
> Hope you enjoy, thanks for reading.  
> Robyn out.

When Robin woke up he was lying on a bed in a white room, which he quickly realized was the medical bay in the cave (he'd had enough accidents to know the room on sight at this point). Wait how did he get there? The last thing he remembered was being in Star City fighting a group of thugs with the team than everything else was blank. He mentally rolled back through his memories, trying to find where everything had gone wrong. It had been a typical surveillance mission, they'd been discovered (as normal), then the villains had pulled out an unknown weapon. He'd been hit by it and then darkness. Great.

As Robin sat up, Kid Flash, now in civilian clothing, ran through the door, quickly followed by the rest of the team. They all looked worried, which made sense since he had been hit by an unknown weapon.

Robin looked at them questioning and asked "Ce s-a întâmplat?" _(What Happened?)._

The team looked at him confused.

"Dude, what did you say? Was that even English?" Wally asked looking even more worried about his friend.

"I-am spus, ce sa întâmplat?" _(I said, what happened?)._

"Robin, speak English, we can't understand you!" Artemis exclaimed annoyed.

It took a second for Robin to realize he was speaking Romani. "Nu pot" _(I can't)_. He tried to speak English but found he couldn't, he then tried any other language he knew and he found he couldn't speak any of them either. He was stuck speaking Romani. That must have been what the weapon did - make him speak his first language. What use was that? It wasn't the normal kind of evil weapon criminals usually found. An evil grin appeared on Robin face, terrifying his friends. This was unexpected but he could use it to his advantage.

"Rob, why are you looking at us like that? Dude, stop it! You're freaking me out!" Wally exclaimed getting really creeper out by the mischievous spark in his friend's eye and the grin on his face.

Kaldur suddenly got a thoughtful look on his face and quickly left the room before returning a minute later, with a weird red gun in his hand. Robin got the feeling that he had figured out what had happened as well; he would have told them his own theory but there was currently the language barrier issue.

"This was the gun one of the thugs shot at you. It threw you back against the wall and you glowed red before falling unconscious. We thought it didn't have any affect on you, but what if it did and you were stuck speaking a different language? But why that language and which language is it?" Kaldur explained. Everyone had stopped looking at Robin and turned to face Kaldur as he re-entered the room near the back of the group.

"It's Romani, his native language and wait..." Wally said before turning back to Robin. "You can understand English, can't you?"

"Gee nu Wally, eu sunt doar la întâmplare vorbesc. Bineînțeles că înțeleg limba engleză, Kid Idiot. Așteptați i se poate folosi acest lucru pentru a troll toți. Răzbunare!" Robin cackled at the end, his voice dripping with sarcasm at the start. _(Gee no Wally, I am just randomly talking. Of course I understand English, Kid Idiot. Wait I can use this to troll all of you. Revenge!)_

"Was that sarcasm? I'm sure that was sarcasm. You insulted me, I know you did. Arty, Robbie is being mean!" Wally whined.

"Oh shut it Kid Mouth!" Artemis snapped at Wally.

"What do you think Kaldur? Do you think it will wear off or do we have to reverse the effects?" M'gann asked ignoring Wally and Artemis.

"I think we should wait till Batman comes to collect Robin in a few hours then talk with him." Kaldur sighed. They didn't have the technology, equipment or knowledge at the minute in the cave to try and reverse the effects; they would have to wait for some of the adults.

"Em...what do we do now?" M'gann asked.

"We call Batman then wait, I'm sure we can manage to try and understand Robin." Kaldur stated as calm as ever.

A few minutes later, the whole team was sitting in the lounge area, bored (Kaldur had stepped aside to inform Batman of the situation, he hadn't picked up so Kaldur had left a message and re-joined the others). So far understanding Robin hadn't been going well, so they had given up on trying to converse.

"Hey! Why don't we play charades?" Wally suggested, bouncing up and down. He'd gotten sick of the silence and didn't have the patience to just sit around for any longer.

Everyone one swiftly agreed, as they were also getting bored and Wally stepped forward to start. He mimed the word for book and six words. He started running round swinging an invisible sword, then pretending to run into the shadows.

"Percy Jackson și blestemul lui Titan!" Robin shouted, knowing about the series of books as Wally and he had recently started to read them together. Out of all of them it was Wally's favourite in the series. _(Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse.)_

"Yes! Well I'm guessing you said the correct answer." Wally stated slightly confused and went to sit back down.

"Wait, what did Bird Boy say?" Artemis asked.

"Oh, Percy Jackson and The Titan's Curse. A friend convinced me to read the series so I made Robin read it with me and we fell in love with it, my favourite one is that one." Wally said.

"Why is that your favourite?" M'gann asked kindly.

"I guess, because the characters remind me of us. Artemis is Thalia or Zoe because she uses a bow and has a bad past. Robin is Nico because they can both disappear into shadows becoming ninjas and both lost their families. Kaldur is a bit like Chiron because of his kind attitude. M'gann is kind of like Bianca because of how nice she is and whole new life thing, apart from the fact she didn't abandon a brother. I have no idea who Superboy is, maybe Beckendorf, even though he doesn't appear in that book. And I guess I see myself as Percy, because we are both sarcastic and train hard for others to except us, but it doesn't always work." Wally explained nervously, he whispered the last bit, but every one heard.

"How about we do something else." Kaldur suggested, choosing to ignore what his friend had said for the minute as he obviously didn't want to talk about it. He made sure to keep a mental note so he could discuss it at a better time. After discussing options for activities they collectively decided to watch a movie. M'gann made popcorn and they all settled down on the sofa and put the movie in. They had decided on The Amazing Spiderman 2 (they had seen the first one a couple of days before and superhero movies were a guilty pleasure of theirs).

Everyone enjoyed the film, every so often Wally would leave to get another drink or more food, but that was the only disturbance.

They also had a few comments ("Seriously why do all heroes create their villains and have horrible back stories?" "Shut up Wally!")

**SPOILER ALERT FOR THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 SPOILER ALERT**

Then it came to the part near the end, when Spiderman fought Electro and Green Goblin.

To the part when Gwen dies.

The part where she falls to her death.

**SPOILER ALERT OVER BUT YOU WILL BE VERY CONFUSED IF YOU DIDN'T READ IT SO PRETTY MUCH SOMETHING BAD HAPPENS THAT REMINDS ROBIN OF HIS PARENTS WHO FELL TO THEIR DEATHS!**

Everyone's reactions were different. Wally looked shocked and felt sympathy for Spiderman, Artemis let a tear fall, Kaldur lowered his head in sadness, Superboy frowned and M'gann started to cry a bit.

But the worst reaction was definitely Robin's.

He looked shocked than started crying and kept repeating, in Romani still.

"Nu, nu, mama, tata, nu poți fi mort, ridica-te, te rog ridică-te, am nevoie de tine, nu, nu, nu." ( _No, no, no, no, mom, dad, you can't be dead, get up, please get up, I need you, no, no, no.)_

Wally looked at his friend in horror for a minute, realizing what had happened and quickly started whispering to him after pulling the crying Bird onto his lap. Everyone else stopped what they were doing to look at the pair confused. They hadn't expected that extreme a reaction from their youngest member, it was just a movie but clearly something had triggered him. Wally gave them a look telling them that it wasn't the time to ask and kept whispering to Robin until he cried himself to sleep.

"Look, it's not my place to say, why don't we just finish the movie and let Robin sleep." Wally stated more then asked. He was still holding Robin tightly to his chest, trying to offer some sort of comfort to his friend.

Everyone nodded silently and continued to watch the movie, glancing at their youngest member every so often. They all understood tragic pasts and bad memories, they were less curious and more worried (though they were at least a little curious) and wouldn't pry or bring it up unless Robin did.

Half an hour later, after the movie finished and they had put the tv on quietly in the background, the Zeta-Beam activated announcing Batman's arrival.

Batman walked into the lounge curious, confused and worried. He had received Kaldur's message so had expected to be greeted on arrival but no one met him. He glided from the entrance hall towards the lounge, theorizing that was where the group of teen heroes would be. The sight he was greeted with almost made him smile. Almost. The whole team was fast asleep on the sofa, the tv still playing quietly in the background.

M'gann and Conner snuggled together on one of the sofas, Kaldur was resting his head against the arm of his arm chair, and Artemis was curled up on another arm chair. The sight that did make him smile in fact was Robin fast asleep in Wally's lap both snuggled together.

Batman quickly took a camera out of his utility belt and snapped a couple of pictures to use as blackmail later and to keep to remind of him of his little bird.

Batman then moved silently over to Robin and carefully picked him out of Wally's arms, cuddling him close in a bridal carry. Robin turned and snuggled into his chest before sleepily opening his eyes and whispering.

"Love you, Tată," _(Daddy)._

The quiet words warmed both Batman and Bruce's hearts.

He quietly whispered, "Love you too, Fiu." _(Son)_

He kissed his son's head and silently walked back to the Zeta Beams. He would figure out the language weapon later, first he needed to take his son home.


	17. Languages

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This time the team is discussing languages. This is part of a small series of three where the team is having a week of 'special' training.  
> It is still set in season 1.  
> Thanks for reading and please enjoy!  
> Robyn

The team was lounging in the main room watching static. It was the weekend, meaning a relaxing day at the cave and more importantly, no school! Artemis and Wally were fighting over who knows what, M'gann was trying to convince Conner to change the channel, Conner was resisting M'gann, Kaldur was reading a book and Robin was laughing at Wally and Artemis. A normal day at the cave all in all.

Black Canary chose that moment to walk in. The team had been waiting for her arrival as they had been informed that they would be going through a week of 'special' training, although Black Canary had refused to tell them any details. The group stood up, finishing what they were doing, to pay attention to the elder hero. They had all been excited for this 'special' training (it would be nice to not spend time being thrown/throwing each other onto the floor for once) although they were a bit nervous to see what it would include.

"Sit down. This week instead of focusing on strength or physical abilities, we will be working on mental abilities. Starting with languages." Black Canary announced as she sat on an arm chair.

Everyone settled down, prepared to listen to Black Canary. Kaldur sat in an armchair, M'gann and Conner shared a sofa, Artemis and Wally shared another sofa and Robin had the last armchair.

"First, why are languages important?" Black Canary asked looking around at the young heroes.

"You can use them to find your way in foreign countries or worlds." Kaldur stated.

"You can find out information on missions even though the people don't speak English." Robin added.

"You can make friends all across the world." M'gann smiled.

"They help you pass in school if you are to busy doing hero work to study." Artemis shrugged.

"You can live in foreign countries or can fit in if you go undercover." Conner replied.

"Emm, you can ... You can ... I have nothing. Why do you guys get all the good answers?" Wally whined.

"All good answers" Black Canary ignored Wally who was pouting slightly (until Artemis elbowed him). "Now we will go around and see what languages you know. Then chose to learn or revise one as a group for now." She continued looking around at the team. "Artemis, why don't you start?"

Everyone turned to look expectedly at Artemis, who shifted in her seat, uncomfortable with all of the attention. "Well I know English, obviously, and I know Vietnamese. I am learning Spanish in school and if it counts I can cuss like a sailor in Italian, Russian and French." Artemis listed, ticking them off her fingers.

"Where did you learn to cuss in all those languages?" M'gann asked curiously.

"You hear lots of different stuff on the streets of Gotham." Artemis shuddered.

Robin hi-fived her. "Go Gotham!"

"That's really good Artemis. Now Wally, what about you?" Black Canary nodded to Artemis, then turned to look at Wally.

"I know English and I'm learning Spanish in school too, I'm really good at it." He boasted. "Oh I also know a little Romani." Wally said awkwardly, slightly ashamed that he didn't know as many as Artemis. Robin grinned at him for the Romani though.

Black Canary smiled reassuringly at him. Then turned to the next person. "Conner, how about you?"

"The G-nomes taught me English, French and they had started teaching me Spanish before I escaped. I am also learning Latin in school." Conner shrugged.

"Brilliant Conner." Black Canary nodded. "M'gann?"

"I know Martian, English and like Conner I am learning Latin in school." M'gann said happily.

"Thank you M'gann. Kaldur?"

"I only know Atlantian and English, though I would love to learn more." Aqualad replied politely.

"And Robin?" Black Canary's small smile grew into a Cheshire cat sized grin, he already knew a bit about Robin's language skills.

"Well..." Robin scrunched up his eyebrows and started to count on his fingers, but soon ran out of fingers to count on. "I know English, Russian, French, Spanish, Italian, Greek, Latin, Romani, Romanian, German, Swahili, Arabic, Mandarin, Vietnamese, American sign language and Japanese. I'm trying to learn Portuguese currently." He looked thoughtful for a second. "Yep, that's them all."

He looked up to see the shocked expressions on his teammates. Black Canary's grin was threatening to split her face in half.

"Oh and Wally if you are so good at Spanish, then what answer this. ¿Te gusta el arquero verde a tu lado? Y le vas a preguntar en una cita y besarla?" Robin smirked. (Do you love the green archer beside you? And will you ask her on a date and kiss her?).

"Ehh, ¿Sí?" Wally replied unsure, he had only understood a few words in the sentence, plus Robin had spoke too fast for him. (Yes?).

Robin started laughing drawing weird looks from everyone who didn't understand Spanish. Artemis looked split between laughing and being disturbed as she had understood most of what Robin had said. Black Canary simply smiled.

"Wait, why do both you and Wally know Romani?" Conner asked Robin. Which was a fair question, it wasn't exactly a common language to know.

"Well it's my first language and both Wally and Roy had an experience that would have been made easier if they had known Romani, so they decided to learn it in case something like it happened again." Robin replied smoothly. Conner nodded deciding to accept that vague answer, they weren't likely to get anymore of the secretive hero.

"So now you all have to choose a language to learn and a teacher." Black Canary smiled at the team. "I suggest Robin, as he is one of the best people with languages out of the League or anyone associated with the League, and he is a very good teacher."

The team looked at each other before Artemis voiced their agreement out loud. "So we all agree Robin is our teacher?" Everyone nodded and Robin pouted a little. He had wanted to have a break, but didn't really mind acting as a teacher.

"What language though?" M'gann asked.

"What about Romani seeing as it is his first language and in case we get into a similar situation as Wally and Roy did?" Kaldur asked. "It would have been helpful to understand Robin after he was hit with that language ray last month." Robin winced remembering that, it had taken several days for it to wear off.

"No! Ehh, sorry guys but I don't feel comfortable teaching it to you. Can you pick something else please?" Robin exclaimed looking up at them with wide eyes like a baby seal. Baby seal eyes were like an army of puppies with their head tilted to the side and their eyes wide open and a thousand other cute things, in other words, adorable. Everyone instantly melted at that look.

"Well, I guess we can learn something else." M'gann said.

"Thank you." Robin nodded at her.

"What about Latin as some of us are already learning that? Plus it is the root of many European languages." Wally suggested.

Everyone looked at him shocked. "You said something smart!" Artemis shouted trying to get over her surprise.

Wally looked at her annoyed. "I'm not stupid!"

"Yeah, he's actually a science geek!" Robin laughed.

"Hey, at least I'm not a maths nerd!" Wally shouted back.

"Boys, calm down. Robin how about you start with some phrases that would be useful to know. Conner and M'gann can assist." Black Canary stepped in.

"Well..." Robin launched into a bunch of phrases and the team quickly discovered that Robin was actually a really good teacher.

The team continued to learn Latin for the rest of the day, only stopping when Batman came to take Robin away and Wally and Artemis had to go home.

Later, when they went on missions in foreign countries, they found that they could understand some things that people said (or make educated guesses at least), as many languages were based on Latin.

Soon, the team were really good at Latin, not quite as good as Robin, but still really good. Robin's teaching also helped them work on other languages, making things easier for them. Languages were after all, very useful and a good way to exercise your brain. It also helped Conner and M'gann's Latin grades in school.


	18. Interrogation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is up (I'm trying to post about three a day)  
> This time we have another part of the team's 'special' training week - this time practising interrogation skills (to varying effects).  
> As always thank you reading and please enjoy!  
> Robyn

The team was sitting (on the floor) in a small room in the Mountain. It had one way glass looking into an even smaller room, designed to look like the typical police interrogation room. It held two chairs facing each other and a table between them. The room they were currently in was the observation room, it held nothing in it bar a single set of shelves, as it was made to watch interactions in the interrogation room.

It was their third day of 'special training' (as they had spent the last two days working on languages, they were still working on them just not as the main focus) and today they would be working on interrogation. It was perfect timing seeing as a horrible crime had been committed by someone in the Mountain. The only people who had been scraped from the suspect list was the team, as they had been away on a mission when the incident had occurred. Meaning it could only be one of their mentors or someone else from the League who had been visiting at the time.

They had managed to narrow down the possible suspects to Green Lantern (John Stewart, who had been visiting), Green Arrow and Flash. Black Canary had decided to take advantage of the crime and had enlisted the team to interrogate them, leaving them to decide how they wanted to do so. The team had discussed it before deciding to split into pairs and take turns interrogating each person to see who had committed the crime.

Only one pair would be in the room at one time with Black Canary and the other suspects (Black Canary needed more eyes to help assess the team's ability) watching the pair interrogate the suspect. The other two pairs would be in the main room so they didn't get any advantages or new ideas.

The first pair up was Kid Flash and Artemis interrogating suspect #1 - Green Lantern.

Green Lantern sat in a plain hard metal chair, handcuffs stuck on his wrists around a bar on the table, trapping him (to make the experience feel more real). He was facing Artemis - who sat in the chair opposite - and Kid Flash that stood at her side.

"Let's make this simple. You tell us if you did it and we'll let you go." Kid Flash smiled sweetly at him. Wally had been excited when they were told they would be practising interrogation skills as he loved police/crime dramas. His current favourite was Brooklyn-99 and he really wanted to practise some of the things he had seen on the programme (but Artemis had hit him, knocking down most of his ideas - it had taken them a while to agree to something).

Green Lantern just looked bored.

Artemis slammed her hand down on the table causing a large thud. "Just tell us! You did it, didn't you?!"

Green Lantern lifted an eyebrow, really, good cop and bad cop. How cliché.

Kid Flash groaned as Green Lantern was led out of the room, several minutes later without saying a word. Things weren't exactly going well.

Next up suspect #2 - Green Arrow. He was brought out by Black Canary and placed in the same position that Green Lantern had just vacated.

"Sooooo Ollie, are you going to admit to this horrendous crime? Or are we going to have to do this the hard way?" Kid Flash attempted to punch his hands together to look menacing but missed and punched Artemis.

"What was that for Kid Clumsy?!" Artemis screamed at KF. Green Arrow ended up having to try and calm them down, when that failed Black Cnary had to come in and separate them before leading Green Arrow out the room again.

Finally suspect #3 - Flash was led in.

Artemis took the lead this time. "Why did you do it?! We know it was you!"

"Come on Arty, Flash wouldn't do it." Kid Flash tried desperately to defend his uncle.

"Yes he would. He is a Speedster and a Speedster is a prime suspect!" The pair ended up fighting again and were separated this time by Flash (he had vibrated his way out of the handcuffs when they started fighting). Both teens were led back to the main room with their friends and told to play nice. Maybe in retrospect it hadn't been a good idea to pair them together

The second pair of Superboy and Miss Martian didn't do very well either as Miss M was too nice and Superboy only grunted and said the occasional thing. Neither really had any idea how to get the heroes to confess (yet). They had however done slightly better than Artemis and Wally, which wasn't that hard honestly.

The last team of Aqualad and Robin however, well they did better, but what else can you expect from the protégé of Batman? Plus, it wasn't like Kaldur was a slouch, he was calm and collected normally but could definitely be scary if needed.

Suspect #1 - Green Lantern, was led back into the room. For several minutes nothing happened, neither of his interrogators were in the room. Then Aqualad walked into the room calmly and sat down in the chair. An evil cackle echoed through the room causing Green Lantern to become slightly nervous.

Then a bat-a-rang flew past his head, nicking his ear. His expression moved from nervous to mildly terrified, he looked like he was about to pee himself. He was soon stuttering excuses and saying he didn't do it. He was trying to comfort himself by saying this wasn't an enemy or a real interrogation but it wasn't really working.

Suspect #2 - Green Arrow, lasted slightly longer, but looked absolutely petrified when Robin flew at him and demanded that he tells them if he was guilty in his 'tell me or you will never see the sun again' voice. The kid was eerily like Batman at times. Kaldur just stood at the side grinning, occasionally offering increasingly scary options of whet would happen if he didn't confess.

Suspect #3 - Flash, however didn't last very long at all. He vibrated out of the handcuffs (again) and through the door after Robin had jumped out of the shadows at him. Aqualad sighed but had a small smile on his face that showed his amusement (he had been excited to try new ideas out on the Speedster). Robin on the other hand was on the floor laughing so hard he was almost in tears.

The team was soon reunited and given tips on how to do better, comparing techniques that had worked and what hadn't. Kaldur and Robin had easily been the best pair, however they still didn't have their answer. They still didn't know who was evil enough to commit such a horrible crime.

The crime in question? Who had eaten all the cookies Robin had brought over (which he claimed were made by another Bat Clan member, Agent A) and even worse - who had replaced them with sugar free cookies (shudder).

No one noticed the dark shadow leave the room with cookie crumbs on their face and a small smile tugging at their lips. His cape swept around his shins as he finished watching the CTV of the team's interrogation techniques and exited the cave.

* * *

It was two weeks later on a mission when the team needed their new interrogation skills. They had captured a member of a new terrorist group that was about to bomb fifty big cities across America and needed to know the location of the missiles, which were being launched at the cities from an unknown location.

They handcuffed the frightened man, who was attempting to put on a blank face, to a chair in a dark room (location unknown). They hadn't exactly informed the League of what they had planned to do yet, but they didn't know how much time they had before the missiles were launched.

They all agreed that it should be Robin that interrogated him, seeing as he and Aqualad had done best in practice. Plus, Robin was probably the most well known of the heroes and the youngest so they hoped he would be underestimated. Aqualad was supposed to help him, but he had been distracted last second as Kid Flash and Artemis started fighting about something, so Robin was left on his own.

The rest of the team were in the shadows observing their youngest member work. Aqualad had finally managed to separate the Archer and Speedster but was still carefully keeping an eye on the pair so they wouldn't jeopardise the interrogation.

"Where are the bombs?" Robin growled out imitating Batman's voice, with impressive success (then again, he did spend most of his time with the Caped Crusader - so if anyone would be able to do so it would be Robin). He had remained in shadows, taking advantage of the fact the terrorist didn't know who had attacked them.

The poor terrorist didn't understand that it wasn't Batman and started stuttering out the location of the bombs. He looked like he was about to pass out from fear. In fact he did pass out from shock and fear when Robin bounced into view (instead of the expected Dark Knight) and smiled at him. "Thanks!" Robin shouted at him.

Thankfully the location was nearby and the Team quickly leapt into action to take out the missiles before they launched. The terrorists were swiftly stopped and put away in jail. The man they had interrogated was still passed out (and handcuffed) when the police came to collect him and the rest of the group, which drew a few curious glances.

When they finally made it back to the mountain, after debriefing (also known as getting shouted at for not keeping the mission covert and interrogating a suspect without adult supervision), the team cornered Robin. Kid Flash started to say something but it came out too fast, so that no one understood it.

"What Kid Mouth is trying to say is, when did you learn to interrogate people and how could you intimidate Batman's voice so well Bird Brain?" Artemis questioned, ignoring the glare from Kid Flash.

"It was part of my Bat training and I learnt a bit of mimicking voices when I was little, before I started training to be Robin." Robin grinned. The circus had definitely left him with a weird collection of skills even before becoming Robin, it was part of the reason he knew so many languages - the circus had had people from all over the world employed and they travelled the world, of course he knew more languages than most.

"Bat training?" M'gann asked.

"Yeah, you didn't think Bats just let me out onto the streets straight away did you? I went through a couple of months of training first." Robin snorted. "Not that it stopped when I got out onto the streets."

"Why Robin?" Superboy grunted.

"Well that was random. What do you mean why Robin?" Said hero asked curious. That was abnormally cryptic even for Superboy.

"Why the name Robin? It has nothing to do with Bats." Superboy extended his original question, looking a bit awkward at gaining the attention of the rest of the team.

Robin hesitated a moment, trying to decide how much to tell them. "It was a kind of a tribute I guess. Robin was an old nickname, a family name. I took it up when I discovered who Batman was and asked to fight crime with him. It just seemed right." Robin had a slight smile on his face as he shrugged, as if he was remembering good memories.

"What do you mean when you discovered who Batman was?" Artemis shot back at him the team had gotten very interested in the conversation when Superboy had explained his original question. They couldn't say it was something they thought about often but it was definitely something they had questioned briefly at one time or another.

"What is this twenty questions? But I meant exactly what I said, Batman took me in after an accident and I discovered who he was a while after.. He wasn't actually that good at sneaking around" Robin answered vaguely.

"Wait, he's not your dad?" M'gann asked.

"No .. yes ... kind of? It's complicated, but he's not my birth dad." He looked the clock on the wall. "Sorry guys, got to go. See you tomorrow." He waved goodbye as he walked to the Zeta Beams. Quickly leaving the cave - he did genuinely need to leave but it did help that he could escape the awkward questions.

The team was left standing in the hall in silence for several minutes before Wally decided to break it. "Well, this has been an eye opening afternoon, but I have to make like a cheetahs and run." With that Kid Flash disappeared. Everyone else soon followed, those that lived outside the cave returning home and those that lived there heading towards their rooms.

They had found out a little more about their little bird and were getting closer to his identity.

But they were still quite far away from the truth.


	19. Mental Barriers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, the last part of the 'special' training - mental barriers. The team is learning/practising their mental barriers (as they seem to come in contact with lots of villains with mental abilities like Psimon)  
> WARNING: Implied/Referenced child abuse (Poor Wally) - if that triggers you than just skip Wally's turn at practising his mental barrier.  
> Thank you again for reading and please enjoy!  
> Robyn

The team was waiting in the training room for Black Canary to start the final day of special training. They had spent the rest of the week improving their language skills and interrogation skills and they had been told this was the last part of the 'special' training. They were all incredibly curious to find out what they would be doing today (no one had given them any clues no matter how much they asked/pleaded).

"Today team, we will be working on creating mental barriers to stop other telepaths messing with your minds." Black Canary announced as she entered the training room. She paused, glancing at the team's resident Martian. "No offence of course M'gann."

"Mental barriers?" Wally asked. He really hadn't been expecting that.

"Yes mental barriers," Black Canary smiled. "They are kind of like a force field inside your mind to stop anyone getting in and messing things up or stealing secrets." She explained.

"Cool!" Wally grinned, causing everyone else to laugh.

"Yes Wally. Now sit down in a comfortable position and close your eyes. M'gann I know you are already aware of this, so just use the time to practise your barriers as the others form them." Black Canary instructed.

Everyone sat down in a circle. Robin had Wally on his right and Kaldur on his left. Artemis sat on Wally's other side with M'gann between her and Superboy, who had Kaldur on his other side completing the circle. Black Canary stood behind them, slowly moving around the outside of the circle. They were all sitting with crossed legs and closed eyes, some taking it more serious than others.

"Now focus on creating some kind of barrier around your mind, maybe a brick wall or electric fence, whatever you think will work." She continued instructing them as she carefully inspected the group.

Everyone focused and sat silently for a few minutes, then Wally started to twitch and kept shifting around causing everyone else to lose concentration and open their eyes curious as to what the noise was. Artemis was the first one to spot the source of the obnoxious noise.

"Well done Kid Twitch! You made us lose concentration." Artemis exclaimed frustrated.

"Yeah, well you were probably already failing Arty farty!" Wally shouted back, arguing for the sake of arguing. It wasn't this fault that he struggled to sit still for long periods of time.

"Stop it you two." Black Canary interfered. She managed to corral the group into concentrating again eventually). After half an hour of silence she spoke again. She allowed them to open their eyes as she made her announcement. "Now, Martian Manhunter has thankfully agreed to work with you and test out your barriers." She declared. "He will be here in about ten minutes so try and practise until he gets here."

The team settled down, trying to do as they were told and concentrate again, well everyone but Robin, who was sitting cross legged and grinning, unseen to the rest of the teams closed eyes. M'gann was also smiling, happy to see her 'uncle' - she didn't get to see him that often although he did come and visit her occasionally.

On time, Martian Manhunter glided into the training room ten minutes later. Once the team heard him enter, they gave up trying to concentrate and looked up to watch the League member's entry.

"Uncle!" M'gann jumped up and flew over to her uncle, stopping in front of him. Martian Manhunter nodded and smiled at his niece, leading her back to the circle. He carefully inspected the team before explaining the plan for the training.

"I will enter each of your minds, bringing the rest of the team with me and then I will probe your barriers to see if they hold." Martian Manhunter announced as he sat down in the middle of the team's circle. "Are there any volunteers?"

"Oh, me! Me! I'll go first!" Wally shouted, bouncing up and down from his place on the floor.

Martian Manhunter nodded towards him (as no one else wanted to go first) and leaned forward, gently placing his hand on Wally's forehead. A second later the whole team, apart from Wally, plus Martian Manhunter were in a plain white corridor. There was only a single blue door in front of them.

"Wow, I always knew his head was empty." Artemis announced with her hands on her hips. She was a bit shaken by the whole thing, mental stuff wasn't exactly covered in her father' training.

"So, what do we do now?" Conner asked, ignoring Artemis' comment.

"I need to test his barrier, it must be this door." Martian Manhunter walked purposefully over to the door and twisted the handle. It didn't open. He twisted again and pulled, trying harder to open the door.

It took a few attempts but with an especially sharp pull, the door swung open. The whiteness on the other side of the door frame pulled them in and a second later they stood in a spotless, living room, of what they guessed was Wally's home. A man towered above them, he was quite tall and had a slight beard. He wore a stern expression, eyes alight with anger.

"How dare you?! I told you what would happen if you did not pass your test with at least 95% percent, but you disobeyed me! You deserve this you little brat." The man shouted, his hand was lifted as if he was about to...

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." A voice that sounded like a younger Wally sobbed. Suddenly they were thrown out of his mind and realised they were back sitting in their circle in the training room at the mountain.

"What was that?" Artemis demanded, the first to recover from the slightly disorientating experience of being so suddenly thrown out of the speedster's mind.

"I believe that was a memory." Kaldur said reluctantly, he knew Artemis would not rest without an answer but was reluctant to actually invade is friend's privacy.

"But- what was that? Did we just see what I thought we saw?" Artemis asked stunned.

"It's not our story to tell, if he wants to tell you, he will. But for now leave it." Robin stepped in, looking unusually serious. He glared the archer down, until she nodded her consent. He turned his glare on the rest for the team (just to make sure) who all nodded as well, it wasn't any of their business unless Wally wanted to discuss it. Wally smiled shakily in thanks to his best friend who smiled back reassuringly.

"Who will go next." Martian Manhunter asked calmly, having allowed the group to calm themselves down.

"I will." M'gann said shyly. She'd had far more practise than the rest of the team and felt quietly confident with her mental protections but her uncle was very skilled with mental manipulations, attacks and defences.

Martian Manhunter nodded and then pulled them into M'gann's mind, in a similar fashion. The team was suddenly facing a brick wall that looked incredibly stable, it was far too tall for them to look over. Martian Manhunter walked towards it and knocked on the wall, it stayed firm, he knocked harder. It cracked slightly and an overwhelming feeling of loneliness pulsed through. Almost as soon as it had appeared it was gone, the cracks were fixed as if they had never existed.

"Well done M'gann." Martian Manhunter nodded and smiled softly to his niece as soon as they were out of her head.

Artemis volunteered next. Her wall was a big and colourful hedge with, weirdly enough, a sign pointing down a hole to Wonderland. Artemis' wall held, only a few leaves falling off the hedge when Martian Manhunter attempted to attack.

Next was Conner who had a plain white picket fence that reached high into the sky. The team could only hear faint voices in the background when Martian Manhunter tried to break the fence down.

After that was Kaldur, he had a giant wave with the top hanging suspended high above their heads. It was impressive as you could even hear the crash of the water as it rolled in front of them, only allowing faint flashes of an underwater city to be seen through the otherwise dark water.

Finally was Robin, who simply grinned at Martian Manhunter as he leant forward to put his hand on his forehead. The team were pulled into his mind and came face to face with a large green field, a bright blue sky above. In the distance sat a circus tent, with flags waving in the gentle wind. Unnervingly, they couldn't hear anything - not even any of the natural background noises usually found in places like this.

the only visible barrier was a ticket booth standing in front of the group, the kind you would see at a fayre or circus (which made sense with the circus tent in the distance). Wally, curious as ever, stepped forward first and tried to walk around the small ticket booth. An invisible barrier was suddenly in his way pulsing with blue energy that zapped him and everyone else out of Robin's mind.

The team's eyes snapped open in sync, having been pushed back to their own minds so suddenly that a faint headache was forming.

"Ugh, what was that?" Wally groaned.

"That was Robin's mind protecting itself. Well done Robin, I see you remember my teaching and continue to improve." Martian Manhunter smiled at Robin who grinned back.

"What was with the circus? And what do you mean your teaching?" Artemis crossed her arms and asked. She really wasn't in a good mood, between the headache forming and the faint exhaustion for focussing on her mental barrier for so long, she was completely done with everything.

"Boy Wonder here was trained by the Justice League as well as Batman when he was younger. The circus is more personal, I mean we didn't ask you about the Wonderland thing." Wally smirked smugly, he was glad to be in on some secrets for once (and to be able to rub that knowledge in Artemis's face was a bonus).

"Really?" M'gann questioned, more curious than anything.

"Yeah, he was the baby of the League and has been since he was six. You should have seen him he was really cute. I think I have pictures somewhere." Wally had started to vibrate at this point, looking like he was about to dart away at any moment.

"Gee, Kid ADHD calm down." Artemis stated, rolling her eyes. Martian Manhunter and Black Canary shared a short look before declaring the training over for now and allowing the group to disperse.

Batman chose that point to the enter the cave, he gave one look at Robin then whirled around, cape fanning out as he exited the room.

"Well this has been fun, but Bats wants me back in Gotham. See you tomorrow." Robin said as he ran out of the room after his mentor.

"How did-?" Conner asked confused by the interaction - or more precisely lack of interaction.

"Don't ask. We call it Bat speak. No one else understands it but the Bats." Wally shrugged than announced he had to leave too and ran back home, he didn't want to hang around and give them a chance to ask any awkward questions.

"Well, that was eventful. See you tomorrow." Artemis added as she pulled herself to her feet and joined the boys in leaving.

Conner and M'gann looked at each other and shrugged, they could get answers later. Kaldur just sighed, sometimes he really wished his team would act more mature.


	20. Wealth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is up - Robin's wealth (which is revealed because Wally is an idiot)  
> Still season 1.  
> Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think.  
> Enjoy!  
> Robyn

The first time it happened the team didn't really notice, well actually they did notice it, they just chose not to question it.

The second time it happened the pair drew some curious looks.

The third and final time it happened was when Artemis snapped.

"Why do you keep going to Robin like a lost puppy asking him for a new phone? This is the third time this week you destroyed it! How does Robin even have enough money to get you a new one?!" She defended drawing the whole team round to watch. She was annoyed at Wally (as usual) and feeling offended on Robin's behalf.

"Robbie here is loaded and it's not my fault my phone keeps falling out of my pockets as I run! Keep your head on Moony!" Wally replied swinging his arm over Robin's shoulder ignoring the glare he was given by Robin for the new nickname.

"Well don't bring your phone! Moony!? Why Moony? Kid Idiot?" Artemis was on the edge of screaming at the speedster.

"Your name is Artemis as in the Greek moon goddess. I thought you were supposed to be smart." Wally egged the angry archer on.

"My friends I believe we should calm down." Kaldur decided to step in before anything was broken. The rest of the team had been watching the argument, but not interfering as they didn't want to turn Artemis' ire onto them. Kaldur ever the mature responsible member of the team however decided it was time to interrupt the pair before they started physically fighting (which would happen if the pair were left long enough).

"What do you mean he is loaded?" M'gann asked confused stepping forward with Conner to join the small circle that had been forming in the middle of the room.

"It means he has lots of money Megalicious. Rob here, along with Bats, have to have lots of money. How else could they pay for all their equipment and the Watch Tower?" Wally asked grinning at the Martian. Robin hit his best friend in the head and muttered something suspiciously sounding like 'identities Kid Idiot', his friend just ignored him.

"What do you mean the Watch Tower?" Conner joined in the conversation.

"Bats pays for all the equipment and the Watch Tower itself, he also pays for a lot of the mountain. Just remember if you break something Batman has to pay for it!" Robin cackled his signature cackle before disappearing through the Zeta Beams. Well if Wally was going to drop hints to his identity, he may as well use it to his advantage.

Everyone exchanged nervous glances, Batman payed for everything?

Uh oh. They all suddenly had flashbacks of everything they had broken (some lists were much longer than others).

* * *

A week later the conversation was practically forgotten. The team was enjoying a day off from both training and missions, using it to explore Happy Harbour. The whole team were in their civilian clothes, with Robin wearing his normal black sunglasses to cover his eyes. They had been wandering rather aimlessly around the town, chatting happily, sharing stories of both civilian and hero lives (careful to not let any nearby civilians hear the hero ones). They had already gotten ice cream and walked along the beach before heading back into town.

Once they reached the mina street they had started going from shop to shop showing the non-humans what Earth/Land shops were like and the joys of both window shopping and wandering through little shops without a true aim. Then the girls found a beautiful little shop with all sorts of gifts decorating the windows and little trinkets they were actually interested in buying. M'gann wanted somethings to decorate her room in the mountain and even Artemis had a similar idea, plus it was one of her friend's birthdays soon and they would make good gifts. They had gotten excited and were about to go in only to stop when they realised they had forgotten to bring more money - they had only brought enough for ice cream as they hadn't exactly been expecting to go shopping, plus it isn't like either of them had much money to begin with either.

"Oh, it's okay girls. Maybe you can get something next time." Wally tried to reassure the downtrodden girls.

"Hey, it's okay. Here have some of my money." The Boy Wonder stepped forward and gave a handful of notes to the two girls.

"Are you sure Robin?" Artemis hesitated, with M'gann at her side wearing a similar expression.

"I'm sure, go enjoy yourselves." Robin grinned.

The pair looked at each other before giggling (in a very un-Artemis but very normal for M'gann fashion) and nodding. They strolled into the shop side by side, shouting back to the boys behind them. "We'll meet you in one hour at the café around the corner." That was a mildly worrying statement for the boys, they hadn't expected the girls to want to take that long.

"So, what do we do now?" Wally asked looking towards Kaldur, Conner and Robin beside him. The girls had disappeared into the shop and the windows didn't allow much visibility into the little shop.

A shrug from each boy was the simple reply. None of them had any idea how to occupy an hour.

Ten minutes later found the boys in a small park near the centre of Happy Harbour. They were sitting on a bench next to a small pond, which to Wally's relief had no ducks in it, enjoying the peace and quiet. There wasn't anyone else around, bar a stray dog walker.

"I wonder what the girls are doing." Wally interrupted the peace. Robin grinned, he had been mentally timing how long it would take the Speedster to get fed up with the quiet.

"I have a feeling we will find out later." Kaldur replied sighing.

"What should we do?" Conner grunted. Even he was getting fed up just sitting around waiting.

"I think we should show Conner and Kaldur more about our world!" Robin grinned to Wally, who grinned wickedly back. Kaldur and Conner shared a worried glance, because the girls disappearing wasn't worrying enough, they had to be stuck with these two.

Forty minutes later the boys met up with Artemis and M'gann at the small corner café. Robin had payed for everyone's drinks. Kaldur had water, Wally had an ice cream shake, Artemis had a hot chocolate, Conner tried a lemonade, M'gann had a strawberry milkshake and Robin had a can of coke (which Wally kept glancing at him for - he'd never forgotten what Robin was like on a sugar high).

"So what were you two doing for an hour? Shopping for new clothes?" Wally questioned curiously, cream on his face from his ice cream shake. The girls had met them at the café carrying a few bags, wide grins on their faces.

"Actually we were buying these." M'gann ignored Wally in favour of taking out six items items from a gold plastic bag.

They were necklaces. All six had a braided silver chain with a jigsaw piece hanging on it. Each jigsaw piece was a different colour; one red, another yellow, a third blue, the fourth light green, the fifth was orange and the last was a darker green. They should have looked tacky (like most friendship jewellery) but in fact had been finished nicely.

"There's one for each of us. Red for Robin, yellow for Wally, blue for Conner, dark green for M'gann, orange for Kaldur and light green for me. It's a way to celebrate being a team for six months. " Artemis said handing each person their necklace.

"They join together, see." M'gann continued fitting all the pieces together.

"Thanks."

Thank you."

"Wow these are AWESOME."

"We are very grateful for your thoughtful gifts."

Both girls grinned and slipped their own necklaces over their necks before gesturing for the boys to do the same. They seemed a bit cheesy but it felt great to actually have a symbol of them as a team. The conversation dissolved back into general chatter, M'gann showing off what else she had gotten in the little shop, and Wally and Robin sharing embarrassing stories about each other and other heroes.

"Soooooo, Boy Blunder are Bats and you rich in your real lives?" Artemis prodded at a break in the conversation.

"I thought we were finished with this!" Robin complained exasperated.

"Never Bird Boy."

"Hey talking about money, do you think you can get me another phone, I dropped my last one?!"

"Again!"

"Really!"

"Come on, Wally!"

"How do you keep dropping it?!"

"Shut up Baywatch!"


	21. Mysterious Ball

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again.  
> Summary: The whole team go on a mission to protect Bruce Wayne at a charity ball but get suspicious when the only people they see are heroes in their civilian identities. What's going on?  
> (Between me and you, it's a training exercise for the team and Robin knows : ) )  
> This is not BabsxDick they're just best friends.  
> Anyway onto the story, hope you enjoy.  
> Italics are the team talking on the mind link.  
> Robyn

The team were stuck. Where? I hear you ask. Maybe a dungeon or an evil villain's horrible lair? Nope, somewhere far worse - a charity ball. But not just any charity ball, a charity ball for rich people and guests. Well that's what they'd been told at least.

Apparently there had been several threats made and with the number of rich/famous guests supposed to be attending the team had been called in to protect all the guests. Despite all the threats that supposedly been sent, there hadn't been any attacks or even many people acting suspicious. The team had spread out across the vast ballroom, decorated by someone with expensive tastes and full of priceless stuff, a gigantic gold chandelier even hung from the roof, finishing the look. A stage stood at one end of the room with a microphone in a stand in the centre, ready for a speaker.

 _"Why do we have to wear these stupid Monkey suits again?"_ Wally asked over the mind-link. He kept looking around the room, messing with his black suit and tie as he stood next to Roy Harper, Oliver Queens ward (and to the few that knew (including Wally), the former sidekick Speedy now known as Red Arrow).

 _"The threats we have received have centred on Mr Wayne and his ward. The League is occupied so we were asked to protect him."_ Kaldur sighed. " _This is an undercover mission, we have to fit in_." Adjusting his navy suit as he stood in a corner, silently agreeing with Wally. He didn't like the suits or event any more than the others did but he knew it was his job.

 _"Hey Robin, you're the expert on Gotham. Where is Wayne's ward? Richard Grayson, right?"_ Artemis questioned visibly looking around from her place next to a classmate - Barbara Gordon. She wore her Gotham Academy Uniform, she had been invited by Mr Wayne due to the fact he payed for her to go to Gotham Academy with his sponsorship (that was their reason for her attendance at least).

 _"Yeah, but he prefers to be called Dick Grayson, B and I protect him and Wayne sometimes. I think he's away at a maths competition in Jump City at the minute though. And sorry Wally but you will just have to try and survive, I don't like these suits anymore than you do."_ Robin cackled standing in his grey suit and sunglasses, chatting happily with Diana Prince. He was having way too much fun at the event, it was made even better by Batman allowing him to attend as 'Robin' instead of 'Dick'. It meant he got to enjoy the ball more than he normally did, trolling his team, talking with League members but not having to converse with the normal Gotham elites that he did as Dick.

 _"I don't know, I quite like this dress."_ M'gann said in a long red dress, which matched her hair. She stood next to Conner who also wore a black suit, he looked just as uncomfortable as his teammates, fidgeting and shifting every few seconds.

 _"There's nothing happening though! And this suit is uncomfortable!"_ Wally whined.

 _"Hey! Dresses are more uncomfortable Baywatch."_ Artemis shot back.

 _"No way, suits are more uncomfortable! Besides you're not even wearing a dress!"_ Wally shouted in his mind.

 _"Skirts are just as bad and besides-"_ Artemis stopped halfway through her sentence.

 _"Artemis? Artemis! Are you okay? What happened?"_ Kaldur asked Artemis in panic. He was maybe hoping for an attack at this point just to end their suffering (not that he would ever admit that to anyone). It was very unusual for the pair to just stop arguing without being interrupted.

 _"I'm fine, but have you guys noticed anything weird?"_ Artemis questioned looking around suspiciously.

 _"What do you mean?"_ Conner asked confused, looking around at the surroundings, trying to spot what Artemis had noticed. He could just about see Artemis across the room from him and M'gann. They mad their way towards their teammate, who had abandoned Barbara in favour of hunting down her teammates. It only took a few minutes for the team to congregate at the edge of the ballroom, watching guests go by.

 _"There are a lot of heroes in their civilian identities."_ Artemis said _. "There's both Green Lanterns and that's got to be Hawkwoman."_ She indicated subtly at Hal Jordan who was talking with John Steward and Shayera.

 _"Hey there's Uncle Barry!"_ Wally added.

 _"That's my uncle J'onn."_ M'gann spotted her uncle walking towards the refreshment table with a reporter, Conner Kent.

 _"That is my king Orin taking with Hawkman."_ Kaldur pointed out.

 _"Do you think this was all a trick and that they decided to test us? Or maybe they trust us enough to reveal their identities."_ Wally asked glaring at his Uncle, who didn't notice him.

 _"But that would mean people like that clumsy reporter Clark Kent and womanizer Oliver Queen were heroes."_ Conner suggested looking at the accused people.

"Hate to break it to you but Oliver Queen is Green Arrow and Roy, his ward, is Red Arrow." Artemis shrugged in her mind. Barbara had found her and dragged her away back into the mess of guests and she was struggling to keep up both conversations at the time. _"And why would Barbara be here?"_

 _"Maybe she's a hero."_ M'gann suggested. The rest of the team split up again, still trying to spot possible threats, but maintaining the group discussion.

 _"That might mean that Bruce Wayne was Batman."_ Conner added.

The rest of the team burst out laughing in their heads and even a few chuckles out loud drawing some weird looks from nearby guests.

 _"Sorry Conner but that's not likely. Have you see the man?"_ Artemis laughed.

 _"Hey Robin, you've been awfully quiet, do you have something to say?"_ Wally prodded his best friend. He was the only one on the team that knew Conner was spot on with his guess and couldn't help himself from messing with his friend, especially if this was a prank.

 _"Nah, just can't believe your theories. Bruce Wayne's an important guy, he funds a lot of League stuff in secret, him getting killed would be very bad."_ Robin cackled. He'd been enjoying the discussion greatly. Artemis's denial of Conner's (correct) guess had made him cackle out loud, drawing a raised eyebrow from his mentor.

Said mentor was moving through the ballroom towards the stage. "Now, I would like to thank everyone for coming and hope you are all have a relaxing and joyful evening." Bruce Wayne spoke up. He continued his speech (which the team only payed half their attention to), once he finished music started, interrupting the team's conversation.

"Would you excuse me, I think I see a friend." Barbara asked Artemis with a small grin on her face.

"Sure." Artemis replied still distracted with their theories. Barbara walked away, hiding a grin.

 _"Hey Boy Wonder, where are you?"_ Artemis asked.

 _"I saw a friend and we decided to catch up."_ Robin replied with a grin obvious in his voice.

 _"Wait they know you're Robin?"_ Wally protested.

_"No, She knows my civilian identity and recognized me, I am just wearing sunglasses."_

_"So what are we even supposed to be doing?"_ Conner questioned looking suspiciously at Clark Kent who had just stumbled and poured wine all down himself.

 _"I am not entirely sure."_ Kaldur replied confused. " _There does not seem to be any attacks. Try to enjoy yourselves but keep an eye out just in case."_

* * *

"Hey Bruce." Robin - now Dick walked up to Bruce, who had been talking with Barbara.

"Hi Dick, how are things going? The team suspect anything?" Bruce turned to his ward and Barbara (who to a very select few people was known as the new heroine Batgirl. She was still mostly in training though, with only a few experiences on the streets).

"Nope, they got a little suspicious after Artemis pointed out the few heroes she knew, but Conner unknowingly directed them off that path. Hi Babs."

"Hi Wonder Boy. Your team is pretty obvious. I was taking to Artemis and it was pretty clear that she wasn't paying attention and she kept looking around for something." Barbara replied. "The team looks so confused it's funny. Are you ever going to get enough of teasing them with your identity?"

"Nope, it's just too much fun. I will tell them eventually though." Dick replied grinning.

"You two continue to look out and keep everyone distracted, I need to go check on Alfred." Bruce sighed before walking away, he didn't want to get between the two friends, he knew what trouble they could cause.

"That's Bruce for 'I need to get out of here'. He was probably embarrassed about Clark, I mean almost everyone here knows his identity, does really he still need to make a fool of himself?" Dick shook his head in an over exaggerated way causing Barbara to laugh.

"Come on Boy Blunder. We need to get back into the crowd to stop people, meaning the team, getting suspicious." Barbara ordered, already moving back towards the centre of the room.

"Yes Babs!" Dick mockingly saluted her before walking over to talk with Billy Batson AKA Captain Marvel in his ten year old form.

* * *

Later that day when the ball was (finally) over and the team had returned to the Mountain, most of them rushing to get out of their fancy clothes and dressed in normal clothes. Once they were more comfortable they met up with Batman who had come to debrief them.

"I am glad to see that nothing happened during the ball, the tip off must have been wrong. I am sure you all learnt a lot. I still expect your mission reports tomorrow though." Batman said in his deep voice. The team scattered taking that as a dismissal, moving away to relax after being on edge for the last few hours.

Robin stayed behind, waiting until everyone was out of hearing range. "Their faces were hilarious. Are you ever going to tell Wally that you never read his reports?" He laughed.

"I only read your report and Aqualad's. And on the rare occasion the others. Wally's never makes any sense." Batman replied shaking his head gently at his son.

"Come on let's go home, you have training and patrol tonight." Batman continued turning to leave.

"Actually, can I stay here for a little bit longer? Just an hour, to see what they think. Please." Robin begged giving the Dark Knight seal eyes, that worked even behind the mask.

"Fine." Batman sighed. "But only an hour."

"Thanks B, see you later."

* * *

"Hey guys, Bats allowed me to stay for another hour." Robin smiled as he entered the main room where his friends sat.

"Great! Hey Bro, I now understand why you hate those charity balls so much." Wally complained.

"Wait, you've been to those things before? How do you survive?" Artemis demanded.

"Thanks Kid Mouth. Yeah I've been to them many times before, Bats and I protect Bruce Wayne and his ward a lot as I mentioned before. I have no tips for survival, I hate them with a passion." Robin admitted. The team continued to talk (mostly about how horrible the ball had been) before it was time for Robin, Wally and Artemis to go home.

They never did figure out that it was all training exercise, that there had in fact been no threats and the only goal was for them to work on their observation skills (to figure out the League's identities) and ability to fit into high society (in case of similar events with real threats).

Well at least Robin and Barbara got some amusement out of it, right?


	22. Ninja Moments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter - 3 ninja moments as Robin and 1 as Dick (in front of Artemis)  
> Still season 1  
> WARNING - Dick gets bullied at end and they say some bad stuff about his parents (Also don't bully people).  
> Thanks for reading, please enjoy!  
> Robyn

**1**

The team were on yet another covert mission and as usual with these covert missions their cover had been blown. For a supposed covert operations team they didn't really have much success with actually remaining covert half the time.

It was a simple mission, trying to find information on a small group of criminals attempting to expand their numbers and operations. They had been told not to engage, to just observe and find out their actual plans for their expansion. They had split up, Robin, Artemis and M'gann were hiding on a small platform overlooking the make-shift boardroom where the higher-ups in organisation were meeting, while Conner, Wally and Kaldur had snuck amongst cargo crates and wooden boxes that surrounded the meeting table.

It all went south the moment Kid Flash tripped over a wooden storage box as he tried to sneak closer, he stumbled right into the middle of the criminals, narrowly avoiding face planting on the table. The only good thing about the situation was the criminal's expressions as he stumbled out of the shadows, however that didn't last long as they gathered their weapons ready to face their attackers. Artemis soon followed, shooting arrows from the platform as cover, then Superboy and Miss Martian leapt into battle. Kaldur sighed before jumping out from behind a crate to help his teammates. Once, just once he would like a mission to go without anything going wrong.

The next thing the team knew they were fighting the amateur criminals. The commotion caused by the fighting alerted the minions (who had been all around the criminal's base - an old abandoned house instead of a warehouse for once), and they swarmed into the room to join the fighting. The team were outnumbered but still fighting strong, although they did seem to be missing a member.

"Hey, anybody seen Robin?" Kid Flash shouted as he took down several armed minions in one go.

"I do not believe I have seen him since we entered the building." Aqualad replied as he also took down a minion, not even glancing at Kid Flash.

Evidently he had done what Kid Flash called his 'ninja thing' and disappeared into the shadows. It wasn't even a second later when said Boy Wonder's signature cackle was heard. It echoed through the room, making it impossible to tell where it had come from. The criminals looked about, even more nervous and showing it (they really were amateurs). Robin swung into the room on his grappling hook, letting go at the right time and flipping down onto one of the men.

"Do criminals keep getting stupider? Or is it just me?" Robin cackled as he took down two men in one swing.

"Nope, it's not just you Wonder Boy." Artemis laughed as she shot off an explosive arrow into the midst of the fight.

Soon all the criminals were taking care of, knocked out and tied up in the centre of the room. They had called the police to deal with the criminals, while the team looked around the house for more info. When they were looking around they noticed they were missing a member again.

"Where's Robin gone to now?" Kid Flash sighed, why did Robin always have to vanish?

"Oh, you don't think he's hurt do you?" Miss Martian asked worried.

"I'm sure he's fine." Aqualad replied calming his teammate down.

"Yeah, he's just being the freaky ninja that he is." Artemis said.

A loud cackle echoed around the room making the team shiver in unison.

* * *

**2**

The next time they were back in normal weekly training. Black Canary was coordinating the new activity designed to work on their covert operation skills. It was pretty much a game of paintball - the point of the game was to hide, if you were hit you were out. They were all on their own, team work wasn't banned but it wasn't the main point of the game on this occasion.

Black Canary had recruited Green Arrow and Flash to help her man the 'paint' guns which in this case were a bit more high tech than a typical paintball game. They didn't fire paint at all but a laser that caused the person hit to glow blue for several minutes. So it was more like laser tag than paintball really. The training room had been altered into a better course for the exercise. It was covered in obstacles that you could hide in and behind such as tyres, boxes, wooden planks and other stuff. Plus, the lights had been dimmed to give the impression of late evening, providing shadows for the team to hide in.

The only rules were no powers, leaving the room or attacking the gun men. They just had to survive as long as they could while the adults moved around the room trying to hit them (Green Arrow and Flash were definitely excited about having the opportunity to help - viewing it as a chance for payback from pranks over the years). The blue glow of the guns would also allow the adults to know when they actually hit their targets as the low would be noticeable in the dim lighting.

The first person to be hit was Miss Martian. Black Canary had spotted her trying to move in the shadows by a collection of boxes. Once hit she got to leave the room and watch how the rest of the team got on through the cameras, set up around the Mountain, from the safety of the lounge. She had managed to remain hidden for 3 minutes and 26 seconds.

Kid Flash was hit soon after by his uncle (who he glared at annoyed - the man had seemed a tad to smug about hitting his nephew). He hadn't really been trying to hide, more running from the shots so it was kind of his own fault. He had lasted 4 minutes and 13 seconds, and he had only lasted that long because he was too fast for anyone but his uncle to hit.

Superboy was the next to be hit. Again by Black Canary, during his attempt to run straight through the course to the other side of the room were there was better cover. He had lasted 4 minutes 48 seconds.

Next out was Artemis, she had been unfortunate enough to catch her foot on the rim of the tyre she had been hiding in as she attempted to move for better cover. Instead of gracefully leaving the tyre in favour of the shadowy boxes nearby, she had fallen out of the tyre, landing face first allowing her to be hit by Green Arrow in the moments it took for her to regain her footing. She had lasted 7 minutes and 4 seconds.

Aqualad managed to survive for another five minutes after Artemis was hit. He had been trying to move to a better position, away from the wooden planks and towards a stack of crates where he could climb for better viewing while staying in the shadows. Unfortunately, he hadn't noticed Green Arrow coming up behind him as he slunk through he shadows and was hit. He lasted 12 minutes and 37 seconds.

Robin was the only survivor (as expected) but...

"Where is Robin?" Wally exclaimed.

"He's done his ninja thing again hasn't he?" Artemis questioned knowingly.

"How does he even disappear like that?" Conner asked confused.

"I do not think we will ever know my friend." Kaldur sighed. They had left the lounge when Robin hadn't been spotted for another ten minutes, coming to help the adults find the elusive ninja.

"Yeah, where is the kid. I want to shoot him!" Flash moaned.

"That sounds so weird." Green Arrow shaking his head as he looked at his teammate.

A spine shivering cackle bounced around the room. "I'm right here!" Robin cackled.

"Where's here Robin?" Black Canary exasperated, she should have known better than to play this kind of stealth game with Robin.

"Where I am." Robin replied mysteriously, voice echoing preventing them from tracking his position down.

"Get down from the rafters Rob." Wally shouted running around looking up to the roof - he made a loud 'oomph' as he promptly ran into a wall.

"Wow Wally. I knew you were clumsy but that was just stupid! I'll come down, I have won after all." Robin laughed before flipping down from his hidden position. He managed to dodge all the lasers shot at him.

"Oh come on, how did he manage to dodge all our shots and now we've run out of ammo." Flash pouted.

"He's a Bat what do you expect?" Green Arrow said. The game had been going on 25 minutes and 56 seconds when they gave up.

* * *

**3**

"Hey, guys do you want to play a game?" Wally asked.

They were all staying in the Mountain for the weekend (as 'team bonding') and they had been getting bored with the lack of anything going on. Even the more mature members of the team.

"Sure, what game?" Robin asked as everyone else agreed, they were really bored. So bored they were even willing to go along with one of Wally's ideas.

"What about that game I saw on a program once - ninja?" M'gann suggested innocently and unknowing. So maybe they weren't bored enough to go along with Wally's ideas.

Wally groaned.

"What's wrong with that?" Conner asked.

"You want to play a game called ninja - with our resident ninja boy here. He's beaten me every time we've played it." Wally explained.

"I think it will be fun to try. How do you play?" Kaldur smiled ignoring the groaning Wally.

"You have to stand in a circle and take turns to try and hit the wrist of the person next to you in the circle. You can only make one move to hit or dodge than you move on to the next person. Right?" M'gann questioned hopefully, unsure if she was explaining it right.

"Yep, correct Miss M." Robin grinned, chuckling at Wally's continuous groans.

Everyone moved into position, forming a circle as they did a practise round. They quickly understood the appeal of the game, easily becoming more and more competitive as they went round. Robin won very quickly. Very, very quickly. Which to be fair, it was the first time most of them had ever played the game.

"I know why Wally hates playing this game with you now. Have you ever lost?" Artemis asked, she was very competitive and was already desperate to do well at this game.

"Well I've lost a couple of games with Cheshire. The score is currently 134 to 121 with me winning." Robin grinned (he knew exactly what kind of reaction that would elect from his teammates).

"Wait Cheshire!? When did you even play ninja with Cheshire?!" Artemis screeched, whirling around to face Robin.

"She's really fun to play with once she stops trying to kill you. I play with her when we both have spare time and run into each other." Robin replied like it was completely normal to play a game called ninja with a literal assassin. A literal assassin that was his teammate's sister. The rest of the team watched their teammates' interaction with varying expressions. Wally's face was a weird mix of shock, exasperation and joy (mainly at Artemis' reaction). Robin could have sworn he saw Kaldur roll his eyes at all the shouting.

"Come on, let's play another round. I'll even go easy on you." The insane Boy Wonder was grinning like a maniac.

The team continued to play for the next hour, Robin winning each time but everyone was having fun. They even played several rounds without Robin taking part, to allow the others a chance to win (Artemis won most rounds, but Wally won a couple as did Kaldur). When they finally gave up playing (choosing to watch the tv) the team tried to question him more on Cheshire. It didn't go well as their youngest member did his signature cackle and disappeared.

* * *

**4 - Dick and Artemis**

Artemis walked purposely along the corridors of Gotham Academy pulling on her annoyingly short skirt. She really disliked the uniform, and the Academy if she was being honest (so many snobbish rich kids - she only had a few friends, at least the classes were mostly okay). As she moved past another collection of lockers she heard a commotion up ahead. She walked faster towards the source of the noise.

Turning the corner she came face to face with three big junior boys pushing around a skinny younger boy. On closer inspection she found him to be the weird black haired, blue eyed boy that had come and taken a photo of her on her first day. She had later been informed (from Barbara and Bette) that said kid was Dick Grayson - Bruce Wayne's (her sponsor's) ward.

For some reason the sight of him getting pushed around made her feel like she needed to protect him, almost like an older sister would. Which was strange as she hadn't interacted with him much. The most she saw him was in the corridors or when he talked with Bette and Barbara (who were apparently friends with him as well).

"Hey Grayson going to go cry to your dirty gypsy parents. Oh wait, they're dead aren't they. How did it feel to watch them fall to their deaths? They deserved it after all, they're dirty gypsies." The obvious leader of the group mocked the young boy before punching him in the face, knocking him to the floor. The sight of the huge red mark (that would bruise horribly) on the kid's cheek and tears in his eyes made her want to kill the boys for an unknown reason.

She did the next best thing.

She stormed up to the boys pulling the leader off of Grayson and punched him in the face, see how he liked it. "Leave him alone! You're just a stupid insecure idiot with daddy issues - what do your parent's not pay enough attention to you? Stop picking on other kids." The three boys sprinted away from the angry archer, even as a civilian she could be terrifying. She glared the onlookers into submission, making them disperse now that the spectacle was over.

She leant down to give the kid a hand to help him up. "Thanks Arty, no one ever stands up for me." Grayson gave a grin that seemed really familiar, and yet she couldn't place it.

She turned away to look at something only to turn back to discover Grayson was gone.

Now that she thought about it, that was really familiar.

Artemis gave a mental shrug before walking away, maybe she would figure it out sometime.


	23. Disney Marathon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter - the team decides to have a Disney movie marathon (and you can guess how that ends)  
> I wrote this several years ago (like 2015) so most movies are the older classics (e.g. no Frozen or Moana)  
> Also WARNING for a panic attack (or start of one really) - DON'T do what Wally does.  
> Thanks again for reading and please enjoy.  
> (Also what is your favourite Disney movie?)  
> Robyn

It was yet another weekend at the Mountain when the team decided to have a movie marathon. They spent awhile debating what movies to watch as they set up the lounge (collecting blankets and pillows) and making snacks. They eventually decided on a Disney movie marathon when they found out that Conner, Kaldur and M'gann had only seen a few. Even Robin had only seen one or two to the teams shock (apparently he was too busy and before he became Robin he didn't have much access to a TV). Wally and Artemis had declared this a crime and had cooperated to make a list of must see Disney movies to spend the day watching, with Robin adding in suggestions of the few he had seen or heard about.

They all settled down in front of the TV. Wally and Artemis sharing a sofa, Connor and M'gann on the other sofa and Robin and Kaldur each had an armchair. While M'gann made and collected the remainder of snacks, Artemis and Wally finished their list. In the end the list looked like this:

Must see Disney Movies

-Robin Hood (For Artemis)

-Mary Poppins (Wally said it was needed especially as it had awesome music)

-Cinderella (They needed at least one princess movie)

-Little Mermaid (Come on they needed to see that for Kaldur's sake)

-Mulan (again, awesome movie, and Girl Power!)

-Tangled (mostly for M'gann and the music)

-Aristocats (A cool movie about singing cats!)

-Aladdin (For Connor)

-Hercules (another hero's journey)

-Jungle Book (For the fun of it)

-Peter Pan (another classic)

-Lion King (the ultimate classic)

They had picked movies that they believed were very important to see for varying reasons. Wally had purposely steered clear of Dumbo - not knowing how Robin would react to that. They had purposely not included other movies for similar reasons, the potential to bring up bad memories for people on the team.

First up was Robin Hood.

M'gann loved Maid Marian and thought Robin Hood was very romantic. Connor seemed to like the Fat friar best while Kaldur looked to be analysing all the fight scenes for tips. Wally kept running to get snacks, Robin kept laughing at Wally and imitating all the romance scenes. Artemis spent the whole time complaining about the horrible archery technique, but trying to hide a smile, it was still her sport/expertise being show cased in a movie.

After the movie ended they decided it was a part failure as everyone had talked through of it. Though to be fair the team were very talkative normally and not good at staying still and silent for long periods of tie, they should have expected that.

Next up was Mary Poppins which went better. Robin, M'gann, Wally and Artemis sang along with all the songs (even when they didn't know the words). Wally entertained everyone by imitating the animated penguins, his attempts were hilarious (he wasn't the best at dancing). The whole group enjoyed the ending, happy that for once it was a happy ever after.

The third movie was Cinderella. They had chosen this one as it was a classic more than anything else. It was still entertaining but it wasn't as good as the others, it was a bit too girly/fairy-tale for everyone but M'gann. Everything was just a tad too cheesy for most of them.

Fourth was The Little Mermaid, which was highly amusing for everyone but Kaldur. M'gann loved the love story, Artemis and Wally liked the songs, Connor smiled at Flounder and Robin liked Sebastian. But Kaldur kept moaning about all the inaccurate information and lousy interpretations of Atlantis, his expression was slightly constipated through most of the movie. The movie ended happily to everyone's joy, well apart from Robin who pursed his lips.

"What? Something wrong Rob?" Wally asked his best friend at seeing his expression.

"Kinda, in the actual fairy tail by Hans Christian Anderson, Ariel dies."

"Well that's cheery Boy Wonder." The green archer added sarcastically.

"Yeah, the only people who actually survived the classic fairy-tales were Jack (from Jack in the Bean Stalk) and The Ugly Duckling I think. Most didn't have nice fates." Robin replied shrugging.

"Wow, lovely fact. How about we get back to the movies. Mulan is next and that movie is brilliant. It has brilliant songs, lots of fighting and most importantly it also has lots of Girl Power." Artemis grinned as she went and put the movie in.

"Wait, I need to get more snacks!" Wally shouted as he sprinted off towards the kitchen and returned yet again with a now full bowl of popcorn and cup of coke (which they were not letting Robin near after his whole sugar high accident).

"Again, Baywatch!" Artemis shouted.

"Hey, high metabolism!" Wally complained.

"Yeah right, Kid Mouth!" Robin cackled as he stole a handful of popcorn.

The team settled down once again to watch Mulan. This time the whole team enjoyed it; it had enough action, plenty of romance, brilliant songs and lots of girl power. The team really enjoyed it. When the song 'I'll make a man out of you' came on Wally and Robin got off the sofa and danced along, even Artemis was grinning at the pair, singing along with Wally and Robin.

After that was Tangled. This was M'gann's favourite as she felt similar to Rapunzel, a young kind girl growing up separate to everyone else (M'gann because she was a white Martian) and then finding love and a family and following her dreams. Even Connor had started to really get into it and started to sing along. It was another successful movie, everyone enjoying it and another happy ending.

Aristocats quickly followed. The team liked that one as well, surprisingly. Connor especially liked that one and felt sympathetic for the little kittens. The whole team sang along to the song "Ev'rybody Wants To Be A Cat" and Artemis joined the pair of trouble makers in their dancing. They enjoyed the happy ending (they liked happy endings as they seemed so rare in real life - although non-happy endings were also oddly satisfying in some ways on occasions).

Next up was Aladdin. It was another classic that Robin, Artemis and Wally had all agreed the whole team needed to see. Connor enjoyed the story of a street rat who fell in love with a princess and managed to still save the day in the end. Kaldur had a smile on his face throughout the movie, M'gann loved Jasmine, Artemis laughed alongside Wally at the genie and Robin looked longingly at the tiger and monkey, Abu. They decided some of the classics were good.

Hercules followed on the list. They had added that to the list as they were interested in seeing another hero's life (even if it was a Disney adaptation) plus apparently the songs were very good. The team did really enjoy the songs and found Hercules' journey very relatable to a lot of them, as he wanted to prove himself just as they did. They found a few bits slightly cheesy though and spent half the time discussing the inaccuracies compared to the myths. Still they enjoyed the movie despite this and they sang along with 'Zero To Hero', 'Gospel Truth' and 'I Can Go The Distance'. They all cheered as Hercules saved Olympus and Meg.

Jungle Book was yet another classic and they seemed to enjoy the story behind it. There were some parts that scared them of course and others that made them laugh. They all ultimately liked it though and agreed it was a good movie to watch (though maybe not their favourite).

Next was Peter Pan. Artemis and Wally had both agreed it was a must watch. Connor and Kaldur liked Peter and the lost boys. Wally looked interested in the mermaids (Kaldur had complained about them again). Artemis and M'gann liked Tinker Bell. Robin loved the crocodile and sang along whenever it appeared. "Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock!".

Overall Peter Pan, Hercules, Aladdin, Mulan and Aristocats seemed to go down the best with the team.

"What's next on the list Arty?" Wally shouted to Artemis with a mouthful of popcorn. It was getting very late in the day (they had started early) and they were taking a quick break before finishing the last few movies and finishing up for the night (that were planning a sleepover in the lounge room and had prepared appropriately with sleeping bags, blankets and pillows earlier).

"Close your mouth, Kid Idiot, that's disgusting. Lion King is next and last." Artemis shot back at the so called Kid Idiot.

After hearing that , Wally looked nervously at Robin. He'd forgotten about the Lion King as he'd been focussing too much on avoiding Dumbo without having to explain to Artemis why. This couldn't go well.

"What's it about? I've only really seen the Disney movies we've watched today but I've heard people mention it." Robin asked the two Disney experts as Kaldur, Connor and M'gann nodded in the background.

"It's about a pride of talking/singing lions, it focuses on a lion cub called Simba and his journey to becoming king and fighting against his evil uncle Scar. It's basically Hamlet with lions." Artemis summarized.

"Em, maybe we can skip this one. I mean it's an okay film, but -" Wally started to protest, trying to dig himself out of the hole he had unknowingly jumped down into.

"Why do you want to skip it Baywatch, it's a must see?" Artemis asked curious.

"Is something wrong, my friend?" Kaldur questioned.

"No, it's just." He glanced at Robin. "Never mind, it's nothing." Wally waved it off, there was no way out of this without explaining too much.

They quickly slipped the movie into the TV with curious and concerned glances at the worried-looking Wally (who in turn kept glancing at Robin when no one was looking).

The movie opened up with the 'Circle of Life', which everyone enjoyed humming along to. Soon it got into the actual movie and the team really enjoyed the classic adventure. Artemis and Robin sang along to 'I Just Can't Wait To Be King' but everyone went silent when it got to them travelling to the Elephant Graveyard. The whole team was slightly creeper out by the 'Be Prepared' song.

Then it finally came to the scene that Wally had been dreading.

The stampede.

As soon as the King fell to his death, you could just see Robin's smile turn into an expression of horror. M'gann looked teary eyed and even Connor and Kaldur looked shocked. Artemis smiled sadly as she had seen the movie before. Wally just jumped up from his seat and ran to his best friend who appeared to be about to break down.

Robin started shaking with silent tears, the team looked around when Wally sprinted over.

"What's wrong with Robin?" Artemis asked concerned. The rest of the team ran over to join Wally next to their youngest member.

Robin soon stopped shaking and fell into a deep sleep after Wally injected him with a syringe filled with a weird golden liquid.

"What did you do to him?" M'gann asked worried.

"It's okay, he was about to have a panic attack, the injection calmed him down."

"I'm pretty sure that's not how you deal with panic attacks!" Artemis complained, worried.

"What happened in the first place." Kaldur questioned, trying to remain calm as everyone else started worrying and panicking.

"It was designed for him, Artemis don't worry. As for what happened; Robin witnessed something really traumatizing when he was little which led him to becoming Robin, that just reminded him of that. Can we continue to watch the movie, it gets better I promise. He'll be asleep for a while." The team settled back down and continued watching the movie, glancing worriedly at Robin every so often. Wally had stayed with Robin, both boys huddled on the floor, Wally's back was against the armchair with Robin huddled against his side, a blanket covering him.

The movie, they agreed, did get better and had a nice ending but they all decided that they would maybe leave the Disney marathon for a little while. At least until they better knew what to avoid with each other. Still it had been an enjoyable day and the ensuing sleepover (Robin had woken up near the end of the movie and Wally had taken him aside for a discussion) was fun.


	24. Nightmares

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This time - 5 ties Robin helped a teammate with a nightmare and one time they helped him.  
> WARNING: Nightmares, implied/referenced child abuse, mentioned contemplation of suicide (the last two are both brief)  
> Hope you enjoy, thanks for reading and please let me know what you think!  
> Robyn

**1 - M'gann**

It was the mental scream that woke Robin up. He quickly slipped out of bed, grabbing a pair of his black sunglasses (the ones that he kept next to his bed whenever he slept over at the Mountain) and rushed out of his bedroom door.. It was one of the rare occasions where he had been staying over at the cave as Batman was off world and Alfred was away visiting a friend, plus it gave him a great excuse to spend more time with his friends.

He wasn't the only one that had been woken up by the screaming, Artemis and Kaldur looked out of their rooms in concern as he dashed down the hall. He was the most awake it seemed as Artemis' eyes were barely open and Kaldur was yawning continuously. He waved as he moved towards their doors, still creeping along the corridor towards the source of the mental scream.

"What's wrong?" Artemis asked worried, hand moving towards her mouth as she stifled a yawn.

"It's okay. Go back to sleep both of you. I'll see what's wrong with M'gann." Robin smiled hoping to comfort his friends.

"Are you sure my friend?" Kaldur questioned, eyes blinking repeatedly.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Get some sleep." The Boy Wonder smiled and moved past them down the corridor to M'gann's room.

He quietly opened the door, peering into the room. "M'gann?" Robin whispered as he tip toed over and sat down on the corner of M'gann's bed.

"Robin?" She asked quietly, sitting up. "What are you doing here?"

He narrowed his eyes as they adjusted to the dark room, inspecting her face carefully, trying to see if there were any signs of her previous distress. "I came to see if you were okay? You called out in your mind to everyone." Robin whispered gently.

"I did? I'm so sorry for waking you up!" She asked hurriedly, eyes wide open in concern.

"Nah, it's fine. You okay?" The bird shrugged (honestly, he was used to long nights and little sleep).

"I'm fine Robin, it was just a nightmare." She put on a half smile that did nothing to convince Robin of her actual state.

"It sounded bad. I'm here to listen if you want to talk. It's nothing to be ashamed about, everyone gets nightmares. Even Batman!" Robin smirked at the end of his little speech.

"I . . . I don't think I can talk about it." M'gann had tears silently streaming down her face.

"It's okay, you don't have to." He pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back to calm her down as her crying got worse. He whispered calming words to his surrogate sister. And with that the dam broke.

"N...no I want to. I've watched enough programs to have heard that talking about it helps." M'gann hiccupped as she pulled away from the hug. Robin smiled encouraging and comforting her.

"In my dream I had never left mars and everyone was still bullying me, because I was a white Martian. It doesn't sound like much but..." M'gann looked down at the end, ashamed of getting so worked up over nothing.

"It's not nothing, discrimination and bullying aren't nice. I know what both are like, I face them everyday in school. You don't have to be ashamed." He smiled softly at her, glancing at the clock to reveal they still had a few hours till sunrise. "Come on, I don't think either of us are going to get to sleep for a while. How about I tell you about the mischief Wally, Red Arrow and I got into when we were younger?" Robin asked with a grin.

She wiped her away the tears and smiled.

* * *

**2 - Artemis**

The second time Robin was woken up in the middle of the night at the Mountain it to the repetitive thud of arrows being angrily shot at a target in the early hours of morning. He glanced at the clock on his bedside table, groaning at how early it was but still moving to grab his sunglasses and roll out of bed.

He crept down the corridor quietly, trying to avoid waking the others. He headed towards the training room hoping to discover the reason for the team's archer to be awake this early. He found her exactly where he thought she would be, glaring at the targets in a training room. Shooting arrows into the gold of the target, with enough force to send the arrows half into the boss. He moved towards her, being careful to stay out of the arrow range. Even in her rage and tired state, Artemis' arrows flew true.

"You know people are trying to sleep." Artemis jumped at Robin's voice, whirling around with her bow at full draw. He raised his hands quickly in the universal 'I surrender' position hoping she was awake enough to think before shooting. On seeing his sheepish look (he should have known better than to startle her when she was armed) she took the bow down from full draw, aiming it back down the target range and removing the threat of being shot.

"Sorry, I couldn't sleep." She raised the bow again, holding for a several seconds before releasing the arrow at the target. "Would you stop with the ninja thing! Or next time I will shoot you!" The last bit came out angrier than normal, causing Robin to raise his eyebrow - yeah, something was definitely wrong here.

"It's fine. I'm pretty sure I'm the only other one up." He watched her release several more arrows before continuing. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Talk about what?" She said as she continued shooting, being deliberately obtuse. Robin was fine with that, she would have to face him soon - she was about to run out of arrows.

"Your nightmare."

"How did you know I had a nightmare?"

"Why else would you be up late shooting poor targets? Besides you just admitted to it."

"Why you -!"

"What? Amazing and insanely clever ninja?"

Artemis sighed, she lowered her bow, putting it onto the waiting stand. She glanced at the rest of the room (checking the range was no longer live out of habit - despite being the only one actually shooting) before moving towards the target to collect her arrows. Robin followed. "It was about my dad okay! He had ordered me to kill the team and I did. I can't help but see your bloody broken bodies every time I close my eyes." She growled out after a couple of minutes of silence, bar the sound of their footsteps. She started pulling the arrows out of the target with force, but still checking Robin's position before she started (range safety really had been drilled into her at least).

"You don't have to worry you know. We're not going to let your dad hurt us or you. Besides neither you nor Sportsmaster would be able to defeat the entire League on your own. And trust me they would come after you if you killed us. Man you have never seen a truly scary Batman until you've see him when he's being overprotective." Robin grinned and did his signature cackle.

Artemis laughed a little, the unorthodox method of comfort and distraction was helping a little. They walked back down the range but Artemis hesitated before picking up her bow again and Robin seized his opportunity.

"C'mon I'll tell you about all the times Wally failed, get comfy as I have a lot of stories." Robin winked as she gave a full happy laugh.

* * *

**3 - Connor**

The third time he got woken up in the middle of the night it was by a large crash coming from the direction of kitchen/lounge. Robin sighed was it really too much to ask for just one peaceful night? I mean this was like the past three nights he had slept over at the Mountain. Despite that, he still got out of bed and picked up his sunglasses on his way out the door.

He jogged down the corridor towards the lounge and kitchen, hoping they weren't being attacked in the middle of the night (because it would be a pain to walk Kid Flash up, plus you know the whole supposed secret headquarters thing).

Blinking several times to try and keep his eyes open, he took in the scene of devastation in the kitchen. In the centre stood Connor. The crash that had woken him up was a mug shattering on the floor, the shards decorating the ground as Conner glared down at them like they were the source of his pain.

"Hey Con, what's wrong?" Robin asked the stoic clone, moving towards him knowing he had already been spotted.

"It's too quiet." He replied turning to face The Boy Wonder.

"Sooooo, you decided to kill a cup? I don't think the cup would have agreed with your choices. Poor cup."

"No, I was trying to make something that M'gann told me about. I reached for a mug and missed, it shattered on the floor and I don't even think I can remember how to make M'gann's thing." Connor growled annoyed with his lack of control.

"It's all good, here let's clean up this mess. Than I'll teach you to make hot chocolate - I'm guessing that's what Miss M told you about. Right?" Connor grunted a confirmation, grabbing the brush to pass to Robin. Once the poor mug was cleaned up, Robin talked Conner through making hot chocolate allowing the other boy a chance to calm down.

They settled at the breakfast bar, sipping the freshly made hot chocolate in silence for several minutes.

"Hey Con. Do you mind if I ask what you meant by 'it's too quiet'?" Robin asked the question that had been bugging him since his friend had first said it.

"When I was at Cadmus, it was never silent in my pod at night as the G-gnomes would download information into my brain at that time. It's just too quiet and unsettling sometimes at night." Connor answered looking down into his half empty mug of hot chocolate as if it held all of life's answers.

"You'll get used to it eventually. And if you don't you can always put some music or something on quietly in the background to help you sleep." Robin suggested, but giggled as Connor looked up.

Connor had a chocolate moustache.

"What?"

"Nothing!"

* * *

**4 - Kaldur**

The fourth time it happened, it was an actual scream that woke him up. Honestly this was getting slightly ridiculous (maybe Canary was right about them needing therapy?). Robin dragged himself out of bed before grabbing his sunglasses and leaving his room. No one else was out. How they managed to sleep through that, Robin would never know.

Shaking his head he moved silently down the corridor to the scene of the crime. He paused a second outside of the door in question, it was Kaldur's room, and the older boy was usually so mature and collected, plus he kept mostly to himself.

He knocked quietly (still careful not to wake any one else) but when he received no answer he took a deep breath and pushed it open just enough for him to slip in, closing it again quietly behind him. He found their team leader sweating and turning over in his bed, the covers twisted around him.

Robin ran to the bed and leaned over next to the other hero, gently but firmly shaking his friend in hopes of waking him. "Kaldur, Kaldur, Kal, come on, wake up!"

Kaldur suddenly shot up with a loud gasp. He looked around startled but relaxed visibly at the sight of Robin.

"Why are you here my friend?" Kaldur asked confused.

"You screamed, I came to see if you were okay."

"I am sorry to have awoken you."

"It's fine Kal, but you're not." He sat on the edge of the bed next to his friend as Kaldur settled back against the wall, sitting up with the covers up to his chest. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked gently.

Kaldur shook his head slightly at his youngest teammate's ability to read him. "I dreamt of problems in Atlantis and rushing to help only in time to see it fall, when I returned here I found all of you dead." He refused to look at Robin, it was always hard to admit your fears.

"Well, I know a way to cheer you up. Come on." He grabbed Kaldur's wrist and half-dragged half-led the Atlantian through he cave, then outside onto the beach and towards the gently lapping waves, it was a beautiful night.

"Let's swim for a little, it will make you feel better I promise." Robin smiled as he stopped just in front of the water, taking in the sight of the full moon casting beams of light onto the water.

"It is too late. Besides you do not have the right clothes on." Kaldur argued but he watched the water with visible longing. He was right, Robin was still in his pyjamas, they were slightly too big and made him look even younger than he actually was.

"Midnight swims are fun. Besides I'll be fine, it's not the first time I've swam in my pyjamas." Robin grinned before dragging Kaldur into the cool salty water, disregarding his friend's continued feeble arguments. The arguments l=only lasted until the pair were chest deep in the (very cold) water.

Three hours later of splashing around and Kaldur had cheered up, as predicted by the aptly named Boy Wonder.

And who cares if they got into a little bit of trouble for disappearing and going outside in the middle of the night without telling anyone?

* * *

**5 - Wally**

The fifth time he was awoken in the middle of the night at the Mountain, it was to another scream. Only this time he knew instantly who had screamed and why.

Robin immediately rushed out of bed, disregarding his sunglasses and sprinted down the corridor, not even hesitating at his friend/brother's door, just darting in and towards the bed (still being careful to clos the door behind him, he knew Wally would want the privacy).

The sight that greeted him was similar to how he had found Kaldur the other night. The normally cheerful Speedster was sweating and tossing and turning in bed, deep in the throes of a nightmare.

"Wally, Wally, Wally! Wake up! It's me, it's Robin. Your dad is not going to hurt you anymore. You're safe, I promise." Wally woke up with tears dripping down his face and upon seeing Robin immediately pulled his best friend into a hug in hopes of comforting himself.

"It's okay Wally, you're safe. I'm here." Robin continued to whisper comforting words to his friend.

Wally pulled away a while later his tears still obvious by the red marks they had left across his face.

"Wow, I don't think I've felt that bad since Roy started his driving test and dragged us into helping him. Man I don't know how many times we crashed, remember the time we fell off the bridge?" Wally said trying to distract himself more than Robin (it wouldn't work on Robin - he knew that from experience).

"We fell off a bridge?" Robin asked, knowing this was Wally's way of coping.

"Oh, that's right, you got a concussion and can't remember it."

"Really? Huh. Hey remember that time that we died the Batsuit pink...?"

"I thought he was going to kill me! Or the time that we spread the rumour Flash and Batman were dating"

"That was both fun and painfully for us when they caught us!"

"What about when..."

The two boys laughed and recalled old memories for the rest of the night, all nightmares forgotten.

* * *

**+1 - Robin**

The sixth, and last time, Robin was awoken in the middle of a night at the Mountain was not because of a teammate, well technically it was.

This time he was the unfortunate one having the nightmare and he was only woken up from it by the whole team. They had heard his screams and muttering and came rushing to help their youngest member.

What had he been dreaming about? Falling, it was always falling. The only difference to his typical nightmare was the people that had been falling. In the place of his parents, uncle, aunt and cousin, which were the normal subjects of these nightmares, was the team, Batman, Alfred and Barbara. His new family.

They had each lined up in the old circus tent, on the platform for the trapeze, taken a deep bow and leapt off towards the increasingly far away ground. Before and as they fell they told him how worthless and stupid he was. They told him that he was bringing the team down, how terrible a hero and person he was. How he should just join his family and fall to his death, that way no would have to deal with him.

Yeah, not a very nice dream. Which probably explains why upon finally being woken up by the team (they had been trying for several minutes to no success), he leapt into the closest person's arms, which just so happened to be Wally's. He squeezed his eyes shut until colours swirled in his vision, trying to get rid of the images of his team falling.

"Hey Rob, are you okay?" Wally asked holding onto his brother tightly in a comforting hug. Robin was too busy focusing on controlling is breathing and tears to be able to answer.

"I think it's pretty obvious he's not okay!" Artemis snapped, worried for her surrogate little brother.

"My friends, this is not a time to fight." Kaldur glared at Artemis and Wally with a well practised disappointed look.

"It's okay Robin. We're here for you. Do you want to talk about it?" M'gann asked kindly, moving to sit on the bed next to Wally as she put a comforting hand on Robin's back.

"You...you all fell...so did Batman and Agent A and Batgirl...and the voice were so mean...I don't bring the team down do I?" The little bird sobbed into Wally embrace (giving up his control on his tears). No one questioned who Agent A and Batgirl were, deciding it was a question for another time.

Surprisingly it was Connor who answered first. "Of course you're not, you help lift the team up and help each and all of us."

Everyone quickly voiced their agreement.

Wally passed Robin his sunglasses as he sat up wiping away the tears.

"I'm sorry I woke you up. I didn't meant to bother you by being so childish." Robin croaked in his tired voice.

"We do not mind, you are not bothering us. Besides you have been the one helping us with our own fears and nightmares. You are not acting childish, if anything you should act more like a child when you have a chance, as you still are technically a child." Kaldur replied in an honest and matter of fact way. It was shard to argue with Kaldur when he got like this.

Robin managed half a smile and said. "Hey old man. Remember I'm still your senior when it comes to being a hero."

And with that the tension was dissolved and everyone gave a little laugh.

No one mentioned it the next morning when they awoke to find that they had all fallen asleep in a massive cuddle pile, taking comfort in their new found family.

And for once no one had a nightmare.


	25. Scars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter - the team discover Robin's lovely collection of scars.  
> The song is called 'Battle Scars' by Lupe Fiasco and Guy Sebastian, I recommend listening to it.  
> Anyways thanks again for reading and enjoy!  
> Robyn

_The wound heals but it never does_

_That's cause you're at war with love_

_You're at war with love, yeah_

_These battle scars, don't look like they're fading_

_Don't look like they're ever going away_

_They ain't never gonna change_

_These battle..._

It was an unusually hot day at the cave and of course the air conditioning was broken. Kaldur and M'gann were suffering the most but no one was enjoying the heat. Everyone was trying their hardest to stay cool; they all wore short sleeve tops and shorts, and had enjoyed the nice cold ice cream from the kitchen. The only person still wearing their normal clothes and looking completely unprepared for the weather was Robin, who wore his normal sunglasses, jeans, top and jacket, hiding most of his skin.

Of course everyone was curious but they knew better than to question Robin, it wasn't likely he would give them a straight answer.

Currently the whole team was relaxing outside on the beach as they had decided it was cooler out by the sea then in the Mountain itself. Kaldur was standing in the water trying to keep cool, M'gann was sitting on the sea edge, dipping her feet in the waves under an umbrella. Conner sat next to her running his hands through the sand, enjoying the texture and occasionally trying to shape it into something. Wally and Artemis were deeper out in the sea having a splash fight after Wally insulted her.

Robin was sitting on the sand his back to the mountain as he watched his friends. He wanted to join his friends and take off his jacket, maybe dive into the water to cool down but he knew if he did, his friends would be shocked by all the scars that littered his body. It wasn't like he thought they didn't have their own scars, he knew they did, it's just he had a lot (especially for his age) and he was still a bit self conscious about them.

"Hey, Wonder Boy. Are you going to join us or just sulk? You look like you are boiling alive." Artemis shouted from the sea before Wally tripped her over. She fell over below the waves, but she quickly jumped back up and splashed the unsuspecting Wally in the face.

"Are you okay Robin? You sure you don't want to join us? The water is nice and cool!" M'gann asked concerned.

"I'm fine, just not that hot. You guys enjoy!" Robin shouted back with a fake grin on his face. That was an absolute lie, he was boiling.

Out in the water, Artemis scoffed - how could anyone not be dying in this heat?

Robin went back to his mental argument. He honestly did want to join them but he was unsure about their reaction. He went back deep in thought, not paying attention to his surroundings, thinking that the rest of the team was still playing around further down on the beach. He was right, mostly.

While he had been thinking and consequently not paying attention, Artemis had snuck up behind him. She quickly grabbed and lifted up the Boy Wonder in a bridal hold with little effort, gaining a gasp of shock from said boy as he was unexpectedly lifted into the air. Robin desperately struggled to get out of Artemis' arms as he could guess what she was going to do. But as much as he struggled he couldn't escape as he was too tired and sweaty from the heat, and honestly? Artemis was strong, which he already vaguely knew and should have expected.

"Let go of me!" Robin screamed as he got closer to the water edge. "Don't you dare drop m- umghm!" Robin's voice was cut off by Artemis dropping him in the water, she was up to her chest in it.

He swiftly brought his head up out of the water, spluttering and rubbing the salt out of his eyes. Turning to glare at the laughing archer.

"Artemis, that was irresponsible and mean. Robin said that he did not wish to join us in the water and you went against his wishes." Kaldur glared at her disapproving of her choice. He was wading his way out to the group to help Robin, who was still fully clothed.

"Yeah Arty, that's not nice. Rob didn't want to join us for his own reasons." Wally glared at the frowning green archer, he was also moving towards the pair.

"Sorry Robin." She said feeling a little guilty before going back to splashing Wally.

"Robin, if you didn't want to be in the water in the first place why aren't you getting out?" Connor called from the shore with his head tilted to the side in confusion.

He had been watching the exchange and noticed that instead of rushing out of the water, Robin had crouched down in the waist high water, so that it was up to his neck. Somehow he had managed to keep his sunglasses on through everything.

"Emmm, I'm in now I may as well stay in." The Boy Wonder replied nervously trying to come up with a good excuse and coming up empty.

"Is something wrong Robin? Are you hurt?" M'gann asked concerned, she had given up on sitting in the sand and had wadded into the water up to her knees.

"No, I'm fine Miss M." Robin replied with a fake grin.

"Oh no Wonder Boy, you're not getting out of it this time." Artemis stopped splashing Wally and crossed her arms as she watched the younger hero.

"Hey dude, are you sure you're okay?" Wally asked concerned for his friend.

"Yeah, I'm fine dude. Seriously, there is nothing wrong with me." Robin protested, but no one believed him and it showed on the almost matching expressions splashed across their faces. In a second Wally had managed to sprint up behind his friend and lifted him back out of the water and onto the beach.

Robin's clothes were soaked and sticking to his skin. Without thinking Robin pulled his jacket off to try and dry it, revealing faint lines all across his arms. The team knew instantly what the lines were and briefly looked at each other before nodding to Wally, as if to give him permission.

Wally sent an apologetic look at his friend than sprinted forward and pulled of his t-shirt top, almost making him loose his sunglasses in the process. The rest of the team crowded closer, back onto the shore and surrounded the boy to prevent escape attempts.

What was revealed shocked the whole team. Dozens, maybe hundreds of scars littered his upper body. Long ones, short ones, ones in horrible patterns. Their eyes were particularly drawn to a 'J' cut into the flesh over his heart.

"What happened? You're 13! How do you have so many scars?" M'gann whispered shocked and concerned for the person she considers her little brother.

"I live and fight in Gotham. The villains there are insane. Plus I've been doing this since I was six, that's more than half my life. Of course I'm going to have scars." Robin gave a half grin then shrugged, trying to remain nonchalant.

"Yeah, but I've not got that many scars. I live in Gotham too." Artemis narrowed her eyes, arms crossed.

"You don't go out and fight villains like Scarecrow, Penguin, Poison Ivy and Joker. There is a reason I got the nickname Boy Hostage. Even the minor crooks are creeps." Robin explained.

"Is that who gave you the scar over your heart. The Joker, I mean." Conner asked.

"Yeah, he gave me a lot of them but that's one that he was really proud of. Trust me the Joker is insane, hope you never have to meet him." Robin shuddered.

"What about that one?" Artemis asked pointing to a long one with occasional jagged edges. Like a razer rose.

"Poison Ivy, one of her vines went wild, of course it was the one with thorns." Robin smiled grimly.

"What about the one on your shoulder?" Kaldur asked as politely as he could, trying to understand his friend's pain.

The scar he pointed to was particularly nasty, it looked to be about two years old and was extremely ruff, it wrapped all around his shoulder and partially down his arm.

"On Halloween, about two years ago Scarecrow released a version of his fear gas. It affected half the city, most of those affected were children. It drove a couple of people mad. I was on patrol with Bats and I got affected. I accidentally ran into Scarecrow, he cut me with a weird curved knife as I flipped over him, how he did it I don't know, but he almost cut of half my arm off" Robin sat down, now that the sun was setting it was starting to feel a lot cooler. His drenched clothes didn't help. He couldn't supress a shiver, which didn't go unnoticed by the team.

"Oh Robin. I'm sorry we keep questioning you but you must be cold. Come on let's get you inside." M'gann led the shivering Boy Wonder back into the Mountain. The rest of the team following.

"Go get some fresh clothes on, then we continue this talk." Kaldur ordered as the two split off from he group. He and the rest of the remaining members of the team settled down in the lounge.

Five minutes later Robin came back in a similar outfit but it was dry this time, M'gann at his side.

As Robin walked over to the team, he stopped and hesitated before sitting down. "Guys, do you mind if ... you know... you don't ask anymore questions? My scars have happened and they will be there for the rest of my life, nothing changes that. I would prefer though if you don't ask anymore questions, a lot of them are kinda personal." Robin rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Of course, we understand." Kaldur nodded as an answer for the team and then elbowed Artemis when she looked ready to protest.

"Thanks guys. Hey, now that it has finally cooled down - let's watch a movie."

The team settled down and watched Night at the Museum, which amused everyone including Wally, Artemis and Robin who had already seen it. Though Robin was mostly glad for the distraction.

No questions were asked about Robin's scars again, but they learnt that he was a lot stronger then be seemed, which in truth they should have learnt ages ago.

_These battle scars, don't look like they're fading_

_Don't look like they're ever going away_

_They ain't never gonna change_

_These battle..._

_Scars._


	26. Halloween Trouble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter - a Halloween special where Klarion casts a spell on the team.  
> This is set at the start of the first year of the five year group. It is still the original team and Wolf though (Zatanna is only mentioned) (but the others will come in soon, promise).  
> Thanks again for reading and please enjoy!  
> Robyn

"Well that was. . . interesting." Artemis announced as she collapsed onto one of the sofas in the lounge soaking wet, in the half destroyed, multi-coloured Mountain.

The rest of the team plus Wolf were lying all around the lounge room. Aqualad was groaning having only just woke up, Robin and Kid Flash had double Cheshire grins, Wolf was sitting between Robin and Superboy, and Miss Martian and Superboy were sitting next to each other covered in paint.

All their costumes were destroyed.

"Let's agree next time we see Klarion that we punch him extra hard, this was so not whelming." Robin decided, but he was still smiling.

An anonymous groan from the team voiced their agreement.

* * *

**Earlier that afternoon**

"Hey guys! Asterous costumes." Robin cackled as he and Wally walked out of the zeta-tubes into the Mountain.

The two troublemakers were wearing nearly matching costumes. They both had a baggy orange t-shirt saying 'Camp Half-Blood' around a Pegasus, blue shorts and red trainers with white wings coming out of both sides. Both of them had a necklace with different coloured beads with weird designs on them. Completing the look; they had bright, mischievous blue eyes and curly, short brown hair. The shorter boy, presumably Robin, was skinny and slightly elfish. The other boy was slightly taller, most likely Wally, and he also has elfish features.

"Woah. Who are you guys supposed to be? And how on earth do you look like that?" Artemis questioned slightly impressed (not that she would admit it).

She was also dressed up. She had a black braided wig and grey eye contacts. She wore old worn out hunting boots, a long black hooded jacket that fell down to her thighs, tawny trousers, a sturdy brown belt and light green shirt. A Mocking Jay pin was attached to her hoody, a plain wooden bow sat in a black quiver alongside arrows.

"Wow. Katniss costume, really Artemis, it's fitting I guess. For your information we are Conner and Travis Stoll, the prankster sons of Hermes from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Robin is Conner and I am Travis. Zatanna gave us a charm that let's us look like them more." Kid Flash stated proudly.

"Wow! You guys look amazing!" Miss Martian exclaimed as she entered the room with Superboy following.

Miss Martian had changed her appearance. She stood taller than normal, but had kept her fiery red hair, freckles and green eyes. She wore a short blue skirt, black leggings and a grey striped shirt. On closer inspection her fingernails were painted red.

Superboy stood next to her dressed up in red checked shirt, a black jacket over the top. He had matching brown shoes and jeans and even his hair had been dyed brown.

"Miss Martian is correct, all of you look amazing." Aqualad stated as he entered the room. It only took a second for him to figure out who the couple were dressed as (it helped that Miss Martian had been talking about it for several days) - Amy Pond and Rory Williams from Doctor Who. It was a British show that M'gann had found one day and loved, she had even convinced Superboy to watch it with her.

Kaldur had combed his hair to the side and wore a black robe lined with green on the inside, a snake with the words Slytherin stitched on one side. He wore a white shirt and green and silver tie underneath the cloak and held a wand (stick) in his hand. He was Draco Malfoy from one of his favourite surface book series Harry Potter.

"Thanks, we were going to be these amazing acrobats that I heard about. You know the Flying Graysons? But we decided against it, it was so sad what happened to them and the poor little boy having to witness it? Just horrible. Hey Robin, didn't you help bring their killer into justice when you were first starting out?" Miss Martian asked.

"Yeah I did. You are right, it was terrible what happened to the family." Robin answered trying not to let his true feelings affect his voice and trying to ignore Kid Flash's eyes on him. He was very glad that M'gann had decided to dress up as someone else.

Wolf padded into the room with dirty black fur and a black mask and cape. He trotted towards Robin who cackled at everyone's confused looks, he rubbed Wolf's head as the wolf sat next to him.

"Robin. What is Wolf dressed up as?" Aqualad asked with as sigh at the youngest.

"He's the Bat Hound!" Robin grinned, Zatanna's charm making him look even more mischievous than ever.

"Wait, who? There's a Bat Hound?" Artemis/Katniss questioned. "How many of you are there?"

Robin cackled then disappeared into the shadows.

"Crazy Bats!"

A few hours later and it was a perfect time to go out trick or treating. The whole team was ready and Superboy had even reluctantly put a collar and lead on Wolf. However, just as they were ready to leave the cave was plummeted into darkness as all the lights went out. The team was immediately alert, looking around for any threat.

"Emmm, anybody else creeped out by the fact the lights just went off and it's Halloween?" Kid Flash asked nervously.

A cackle echoed around the room. The team glanced to where Robin had been previously only to find him still there looking just as confused as the others.

"Robin, please tell me that was you." Artemis begged.

"For once it wasn't." Robin replied his hand already reaching for his utility belt, he always kept it on him at the cave, even if he was dressed up like he was today. Before he could bring anything out a red light exploded in front of the team, temporarily blinding them. Once they could see again they were greeted with the sight of Klarion petting his cat Teekl.

"Hello, Justice Brats. I was bored and it's Halloween so I decided to play trick or treat with you brats. Aren't you lucky? But you don't get the choice of what you want, I do. Seeing as you keep interfering with my brilliant and chaotic plans, I choose...Trick!"

"What do you mean?" Aqualad asked trying to buy his friends time. They were creeping around trying to circle Klarion, cursing how under prepared they were.

Aqualad's distraction was all Robin needed, a Bat-a-rang flew out towards Klarion. Unfortunately Klarion saw it coming and knocked it away with very little effort.

"Uh, uh, uh Bird Brat. No more toys for you!" Klarion laughed before he started chanting a spell.

The team rushed forward in sync in an attempt to stop him but they were too late. Another bright red light flashed around the cave blinding them once again and making them black out. As soon as they were unconscious on the floor, Klarion gave one last laugh and disappeared again.

Twenty minutes later, the first person woke up and rolled off the floor. It was Conner Stoll, not Robin anymore no, Conner. His older brother Travis, who before was Kid Flash, followed fairly quickly. The prankster brothers looked around the room and upon seeing the strange people and alien surroundings they shared a glance before deciding to get out of there. The Bat Hound stretched upon waking and moved out of the room.

Katniss Everdeen, formerly known as Artemis, awoke with a gasp before grabbing her bow and retreating to search out the new area.

Any Pond and Rory Williams, previously known as Miss Martian and Superboy, sat up with a sigh, wondering where the Doctor had dropped them this time.

Draco Malfoy, formerly Aqualad, was last to wake up. He first checked he still had his wand and tried to figure out where he was, moving away from where he woke up he went to find a way to return to Hogwarts.

Klarion's 'trick' spell had made them believe that they were the character they had dressed up as.

About an hour later was the first time any of them met each other. The groups had all been moving around the cave trying to find a way out (with no success). Katniss had an unfortunate encounter with the Stoll brothers. She had crept into the lounge with her bow at the ready, but was still surprised when Travis and Conner dropped down from the roof throwing water balloons. Needless to say she tried to kill them with arrows. Key word being tried, she failed as the boys kept dodging and hitting her with more balloons leaving her completely soaked and furious.

The second time anyone encountered someone else was when Amy and Rory went looking for the Doctor only to find, yet again the mischievous Stoll brothers. This time though they got covered in sparkly multi-coloured paint and glitter. The two adults ended up chasing the brothers around the Mountain trying to stop what they thought were aliens.

The third time involved Draco Malfoy and the Bat Hound. Malfoy kept his nose high as he encountered the dirty beast and the so called beast did the same, completely ignoring the strange boy in his search for Batman and Robin.

It was not the last time that a group met up but none of them worked out well. All involved pranks, several included failed spells, an attempt at wielding a sword, a flying (more like falling) dog and many an arrow being shot. It left the cave decorated in multi-coloured paint and lots of glitter and all parties involved spent the night wandering the cave very confused and lost. They had no idea where they were or why and who the other people were in this place was.

Thankfully the spell wore off at sunrise. Everyone was promptly knocked unconscious where they were as the sun rose outside the mountain, this time they all woke up at the same time exactly twenty minutes later. They all woke up with a groan, dazed and confused by the events of the night. They only had vague memories of the whole night and they were very confusing memories.

They managed to find each other, meeting in the hanger, and tried to piece together exactly what happened - sharing notes on the memories they had. They couldn't help but laugh about the events of the night, although they did have a lot of cleaning to do and were dreading when an adult discovered what would happen (there were lots of cameras around the cave - ones they were decidedly not checking). They had moved to the lounge as they talked, collapsing from exhaustion soon after they made it. It was mostly a side affect from the spell or the fact they had been up all night.

* * *

"Lets agree to never do that again." Aqualad half pleaded, only just awake.

"Agreed, but where did you two pranksters even get all the equipment to prank us?!" Artemis questioned, still covered in glitter and splattered in paint.

"We were the Stoll brothers you should never doubt our pranking abilities." Robin grinned mysteriously

"Besides what happened isn't what we should be focusing on. We never even got to go Trick or Treating - meaning no sweets! It's the end of the world as we know it!" Kid Flash exclaimed dramatically.

The only answer was a collective group sigh.

* * *

**Meanwhile at the Watch Tower**

"So . . . What are you doing?" Superman asked the rest of the original seven (minus Batman), plus Black Canary, Green Arrow and Aquaman, for the fifth time.

He had found them sitting around the monitors watching one set of cameras very closely and had wondered what they were doing. They had been so focussed on said cameras that they hadn't answered him the first few times he'd asked.

"Watching the Kids. Klarion came and cast a spell that made them think they are whatever costumes they were wearing." Flash finally answered before cheering as a boy with curly hair, who he assumed was Kid Flash dropped a water balloon on a girl with a bow, who he guessed was Artemis.

"Shouldn't you help them them? They could get hurt?" Superman asked not understanding their lack of concern.

"Nah, the mountains under lock down so no one can escape. Only if it gets serious we will interfere, besides it's entertaining. Now shut up and let us watch." Green Arrow replied this time as a dirty brown dog padded into another room with a boy in green.

For once Superman did as he was told and sat down and watched with the rest of them. He was still very confused though on who everyone was and what exactly was happening.

An hour later Batman came in, he'd gotten suspicion when the Watch Tower had been too quiet and he hadn't been able to find any of the missing adults. Batman glared at the group upon discovering them watching the kids. No one had noticed him yet.

"As you seem to like slacking from your duties, you can help the Kids clean up tomorrow. All of you." Batman spoke up making everyone jump turning to meet his glare with guilty looks. Batman left without another word, heading back to the zeta-beam so he could got to the Mountain and collect Robin.


	27. Medical Problems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter - Three times Robin has medical mishaps (for the record I know very little about medical stuff - the only thing I know from personal experience is the allergies part).  
> So this is set in late season 1/early 5 year gap - Zatanna is here but no Rocket.  
> (Also there are hints of Zatanna/Robin which I don't particularly ship but it is canon so you can chose to ignore it or not)  
> Thanks for reading and enjoy!  
> Robyn

**1**

Everyone was in the Mountain, taking the opportunity to do some training on their own as a team, as Black Canary was away on a mission. They had gotten into teams of three, to practice working in unusual groups. The seventh person would be the referee and after three matches they would switch around the groups. Everything was working well and the current match was Aqualad, Kid Flash and Miss Martian versus Superboy, Zatanna and Artemis with Robin acting as referee.

Just as Superboy was about to take down Kid Flash, and Artemis was being cornered by Aqualad and Miss Martian while Zatanna came up behind the pair they were distracted by a noise from the side lines causing them all too stumble.

"Achoo!" The team turned to see the person responsible. A pale Robin with a red nose looked guilty, whether for letting them hear or for disturbing the training they weren't sure.

"Ehm, sorry?!" Robin turned away sheepishly, rubbing his nose desperately.

"Hey mate, you don't look so good. Are you okay?" Wally asked looking concerned at their youngest member.

"Kid Flash is right. Robin are you feeling well?" Kaldur asked staring at the younger boy with a with an expression that dared him to lie.

"I'm fine, achoo. It just rained this week in Gotham and, achoo, I caught a little cold. It's nothing really, achoo, I'll be fine soon, achoo." Robin tried to explain between the sneezing. He wasn't doing a good job of convincing them he was alright.

M'gann rushed over worried. "Oh, you must lie down. We'll look after you."

Artemis moved towards Robin, putting the back of her hand against Robin's forehead, upon feeling his temperature she whistled. "M'gann is right. You're burning up, Robin. You need to rest now."

Zatanna strolled over to Robin's side and smiled at him. "They're right you don't look well."

"Does Batman know you are ill?" Conner asked, arms crossed and daring Robin to lie.

Robin shrugged. "No. He's on a mission and I've been at school so I haven't see Agent A. Besides I'll be fine. It's just a little cold."

"Well according to your temperature it is more like a flu and a bad one at that." Artemis crossed her arms (unintentionally matching Conner) and glared at the boy she considered a little brother. The team had matching worried looks as they glared Robin down.

"I'm fine!" He tried to walked away but was suddenly over come with dizziness and collapsed onto his knees. His hand went to his head as he closed his eyes tightly, trying to breath past the waves of dizziness.

The team quickly ran to his side to steady him. Wally and Zatanna took a side each, helping Robin back to his feet and keeping him steady.

"Go to your room and get into bed. We will take care of you after calling this Agent A." Kaldur ordered, when he saw that Robin was about to protest he added. "You are ill Robin, that is an order."

Robin glared at each member in turn, although it wasn't very effective due to his vision still swimming, before admitting defeat. He allowed Wally and Zatanna to lead him back to his room, but He demanded Wally leave the room so he could get change into some pyjamas and get into bed. Wally hesitated, reluctant in case Robin collapsed again but eventually gave in when Robin gave him puppy eyes.

When the team entered the room (having collected things they thought they would need) they found him in bed, covers pulled all the way up to his chin and sunglasses on covering his eyes. They moved closer, spreading out across the room. Artemis had found some medicine that she shoved into his mouth before he could protest and M'gann had made some soup that she had seen people on TV make for friends when they were ill.

Kaldur had also brought a towel that had been soaked in cold water, which he placed on Robin's forehead and Connor had a stack of multi countered blankets which he tucked Robin into.

Zatanna gave him a get well kiss that made him blush, though be would later deny it. Wolf lay down at the side Robin's bed allowing him to stroke Wolf's fur lazily with one hand.

For the rest of the day the team including Wolf looked after him despite his protests and didn't let him leave his bed until Batman came to get him after his mission and took the now sleeping boy home in his arms.

* * *

**2**

It started when M'gann decided to try making a new type of cookies. Peanut butter ones to be exact. She had seen it on one of her tv programmes and decided she wanted to try it out. After successfully making a batch (without burning them) she called everyone in the Mountain over to the kitchen to act as taste testers. Wally was first as he sped in (he had heard the word 'cookies'), Zatanna, Artemis, Connor and Kaldur came in next at a more leisurely pace. Robin came in last with Wolf at his heels, thankfully feeling better than he had earlier that week.

"Hey Megalicious, what did you make?" Wally grinned as he reached out to grab one of the cookies that lay on a tray fresh out of the oven. His hand was promptly knocked away causing his to pout.

"Cookies. I finally learnt how to not burn them. There is enough for everyone, here try one." She offered the tray around and everyone took one (Wally was the last to get one).

"Mmmm."

"Delicious."

"Brilliant."

"Amazing."

"Lovely M'gann."

"Thanks M'gann."

Robin happily took a bite after hearing his friend's delight in response to M'gann's cookies.

He chewed carefully, eyes scrunching up as he thought something tasted familiar. A couple of minutes after swallowing (as Wally grabbed another cookie and the others congratulated M'gann on a successful baking attempt) he felt his lip start swelling. Then his throat started closing up, his hand reached up to his throat as his eyes widened realising what was happening. He desperately tried to catch Wally's attention (as he was the only one who really knew what to do), struggling to breath and starting to feel deeply sick in the stomach.

"Robin, are you okay? What's wrong?" Zatanna questioned having noticed his distress.

Wally's attention was drawn by Zatanna's questions, eyes widening when he saw his friend's state. He turned to M'gann panicked. "What was in those cookies M'gann?"

"Peanut Butter. They were peanut butter cookies. Why, what's wrong?" M'gann asked concerned.

Wally didn't answer, dashing over to Robin and rummaging through his utility belt. "No, that's a bat-a-rang, not that, that's a bat-bomb, no not that either. Aha! There it is." He grabbed a weird pen like thing, carefully but quickly moving Robin to sit on the floor, back against the kitchen island as the others watched confused. Artemis and Zatanna had seemed to realise what was happening and had moved over to help the pair.

Wally removed the pen thing from the tube it was in, pulling off a blue tab at the top and carefully stabbing Robin in the thigh for ten seconds. Then he pulled it out and started gently massaging the area, talking reassuringly to Robin who was very pale. The rest of the team encircled the pair as Robin seemed to calm down and finally catch his breath as Wally coached him through the breathing.

"What was that?" Conner demanded as he stepped closer. Wolf whined in agreement.

"It's an EpiPen. Robin had an allergic reaction to the peanuts in the cookies."

"Oh, I'm so sorry Robin, I didn't know." M'gann rushed forward in an abortive move to try and help but what wasn't sure what to actually do.

"It's okay M'gann. It is my own fault for not telling you and for not asking what was in the cookies, I should know better." Robin gave her a shaky smile before taking the offered glass of water from Zatanna with a small thank you. The swelling in his neck and lip were starting to go down and the sick feeling was slowly retreating.

"It is lucky that you knew what to do Wally. I believe we should share medical issues such as this in the first place however." Kaldur gave a pointed look at Robin, who gave him a guilty smile.

"What's an EpiPen?" Connor asked, inspecting the abandoned device (Wally had put it back in its original sleeve and onto the surface for now).

"It kind of counter acts an allergic reaction like Robin's. It injects epinephrine, which is kinda adrenaline to prevent the anaphylactic shock stopping his heart but he still should really see a doctor." Wally explained, eyes never leaving Robin who was starting to gain colour back in his cheeks. "Come on, we need to go tell Bats and get you home so you can see a Doctor straight away. Up you get Rob." Wally helped Robin back to his feet, grabbing the used EpiPen as the pair left for the zeta-tubes, waving goodbye over his shoulder and promising to explain better later.

* * *

**3**

On yet another mission gone wrong, Robin had had an unfortunate accident involving the bad guy of the week and a wall, which ended with his right arm in a black cast and Robin banded from patrol and missions for five weeks (which he complained about greatly).

The first time he was allowed back in the Mountain a few weeks after the mission he walked in, wide grin on his face and dressed in civilian clothes, black cast stretching from wrist to elbow. He found the team in the lounge chatting and playing board games.

"Hey guys. How've you been?" Robin asked to announce his presence, the team turned in sync to greet him.

"We should be asking you seeing as you're the one who broke their arm." Zatanna said with an accusing glare which was met with a mildly sheepish grin.

"It's not that bad. I've been worse off, it's not even that bad a brake." He turned to Wally. "Hey dude. You want to play some video games? I bet I can still beat you!" Robin grinned at his best friend, moving to sit down on one of the sofas after grabbing a controller from below the tv.

"Okay, but I have no idea how you're going to beat me with your right hand in a cast. Hate to mention but you're kinda right handed dude." Wally grinned but moved to join his friend, thinking he would finally get an easy win.

"Thanks for the reminder, Wally. I'd totally forgotten that fact." Robin rolled his eyes as Wally started setting up the game. The rest of the team either rolled their eyes and went back to what they were doing or decided to watch the boys.

It was only a few games later when the relative silence (barring game sounds and the smashing of buttons) was broken. "Oh come on, dude. How do you keep winning?" He looked over at his friend for the first time, only to find the controller in his left hand.

"Seriously!? You didn't tell me you were ambidextrous!" Wally complained, arms thrown high in the air in frustration as he lost once again. His announcement caused the rest of the team who hadn't been paying attention to glance over at the commotion.

"What does that mean? Ambidextrous, I mean?" M'gann asked glancing between the boys from where she had been playing go fish with Conner and Artemis. Kaldur was in the corner attempting to read a book and Zatanna had been watching the boys with increasing hilarity (unlike Wally she had seen Robin put the controller in his left hand with a wink at her, and already figured it out).

"It means that I can use both of my arms the same. I'm not just right handed or left handed. Batman made me learn just in case." Robin shrugged.

"It seems you are still keeping secrets." Kaldur added as he glanced up, giving up on his book for now.

"He's a Bat. What do you expect?" Wally laughed.

"That's pretty impressive. Being ambidextrous I mean." Zatanna grinned as she moved closer to the pair.

"That's nothing. Once I broke my leg and all I did was walk on my hands for ages." Robin grinned at Wally (who was the only one who had actually been around at the time) who grinned back.

"I remember that! I think you freaked out a bunch of villains and amused half the league, including Batman." Wally laughed, remembering the looks of confusion and admiration as Robin just spent the time walking on his hands, leg covered in a cast high in the air.

"I thought Batman felt no emotions." Connor asked looking almost genuinely confused.

His question caused Wally and Robin to burst into a new round of laughter.

"He feels emotion, he just knows how to hide it very well." Robin managed to stutter before falling onto the ground in laughter.

"Does anyone else understand why that is so funny?" Connor asked, looking to his equally oblivious teammates as Wally joined his friend on the ground.


	28. Meeting the Bat-Hound

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter - the team meets the Bat-Hound!  
> Just go with Ace's story (I'm putting my own twist on the story - cause I can (fanfiction joy)).  
> Also this is set late season 1/early five year gap (so Zatanna and Rocket are here).  
> Also the rest of the animals are real.  
> Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading!  
> Please let me know what you think!  
> Robyn

It started with a squeaky dog toy. The toy in question was a small black bat that squeaked anytime you applied pressure to it which made it the perfect dog toy, especially for crime fighting bat themed dogs.

It was thrown through the Zeta Beam into the entrance hall of the Mountain where the team had just arrived. They had been chatting away happily, catching up on the latest gossip in each other's lives when the weird squeak drew their attention. They all turned around curious to see what the sound was, only to find the dog toy lying near the zeta-tubes. They all stared blankly at the dog toy confused, before Robin groaned knowing what had happened.

Wolf lifted his head from where he had been lying down, he'd been there to greet the others who came through the zeta-tube but had settled down when everyone had arrived. He slowly pushed himself up onto his feet, stretching, before gingerly trotting over to the toy, curious to the familiar noise. He nudged the toy with a lazy paw before leaning down to sniff it. He turned back to look at the watching team as if asking for permission or an explanation before turning back to the toy.

Just at the very second he was about to lean down and claim the toy as his own, a large black monstrous shape leapt through the zeta beam. It grabbed the toy away from the shocked wolf then bounded over to Robin. Robin had his eyes closed as if begging the universe for the attack he knew was coming to not happen. Unfortunately the universe clearly wasn't listening as the monstrous shape leapt onto Robin knocking him to the floor.

The team and Wolf swiftly jumped into action at seeing the monstrous figure knock down their youngest member. They had no idea what was happening or what the shape was but clearly it knew Robin. They moved forward to try and save their youngest member but froze once they heard Robin laughing.

A second later Robin looked up to see his friend's questioning glances, he rolled out from under the figure and stood up, wiping away imaginary dust. On closer inspection, and without the new comer moving, it was easy to see that it was a large dog. It wore a yellow collar with a bat-symbol tag hanging from it, and a black cowl covering its face, which ended in a cape that covered most of its body.

"Who is this Robin?" Kaldur asked on behalf of the team who were all standing around confused.

"Everyone meet the Bat-Hound!" Robin waved his arms in the direction of the figure, who was now standing at his side, like a magicians assistant. The dog had its tongue out, panting, and looking very happy with itself.

"Wait, even your dog has a secret identity and fights crime? Dude, what is it with you insane Bats?" Wally exclaimed, arms waving around to emphasise his point.

Robin simply grinned. "The Bat Hound isn't a normal dog though Wally. He is a specialised crime fighting dog, we took him in when his former master was kidnapped, he helped us find him. He was a natural. His master took on a new job that meant he couldn't look after him so we kept him. Like every Bat he received training, before joining as the Bat-Hound!" Robin exclaimed with proud smirk on his lips as he rubbed the large dark brown German Sheppard's head.

"I was about eight when he joined us, he saved my life soon after that and he's been protective of me ever since. Oh and Wally, us Bats are not insane, we are awesome!" Robin continued explaining as he strolled out of the entrance hall towards the kitchen.

The Bat-Hound (which was quite a long name to call a dog but the team didn't know his real name, well if he had another name) followed the young bird with his eyes, keeping him in his line of vision until he was completely gone. He then turned around and padded over to Wolf. Both animals sat opposite each other and seemed to have a starring contest for a while until the Bat-Hound gave Wolf the dog toy which had started this mess in the first place. That seemed to break the ice as the pair started greeting each other in earnest.

The team stood watching the animals bouncing around having fun completely emerged in their own thoughts. They were all so thoughtful that they didn't hear their youngest team member come back in, and only registered his sudden appearance with a startled jump when he waved a hand in front of Wally's face, which sent off a chain reaction.

"Woah, I didn't know any of you could be this quiet. Especially with Arty and Kid Noisy in the same room." Robin snickered as he lay a bowl of water in front of the now still animals, unlike the heroes they had noticed Robin's return and calmed down.

"Hey Robin, how did he even get through the Zeta Beam?" Raquel asked curious. It had been one of the biggest questions in her head as she watched the dogs play.

"Batgirl probably threw the toy through during training." Robin shrugged, hiding a grin. He knew exactly what kind of reaction that statement would get.

"Who's Batgirl?" M'gann piped up having been silent up until this point.

"A friend who is in training to be a hero." He answered his grin becoming more obvious.

"By that he means another member of the Bat family." Wally announced dramatically.

"Wait, the Bat Family?" Connor questioned watching Wolf and his new friend.

"Yep, it is the name given to all the Bats. The group includes Agent A, Batman, Robin, Bat-Hound and Batgirl apparently now." Wally grinned enjoying getting to tease his friend and being the only other person vaguely 'in the know' about the mysterious Bat Family.

"Anyway, getting back on track. Why would she throw it through the Zeta Beam?" Zatanna asked.

"Well it a long story..." Robin stretched out, enjoying trolling his teammates.

"Than shorten it." Kaldur sighed.

"Batgirl and I are in the middle of a prank war and she most likely saw me come here and threw the toy through knowing I would then have to explain. She's probably stalling so she can think of a better prank." Robin announced dramatically.

"That wasn't that long of a story." Artemis scoffed but couldn't hide her grin.

Robin looked back down at the animals that had started playing around again, wrestling each other this time trying to see who was stronger. A sudden thought occurred to Robin, a thought so amusing that he let out a loud laugh, causing everyone, including the dogs to stop and look at him.

"Hey dude, what's so funny?" Wally asked scrunching up his eyebrows.

"Oh, I was just thinking that we should make a team of hero animals, who would fight a team of villain animals." Robin stated between laughing.

"What the Justice animals versus the... what would the villains call their team?" Wally asked seriously.

"Dark Animals or the Vengeance Group, or maybe Animal Light." Artemis suggested sarcastically to the two maniacs.

"No those sound stupid. We'll have to think of something better later. Who would even be part of the hero's team?" Wally waved Artemis away, not noticing most of the team roll their eyes at their antics.

"Well Bat-Hound, Wolf, Krypto the Super dog-." Robin started listing, ticking them off his fingers as he said their names.

"Wait, Superman has a dog?" Connor cut in frowning.

"Yep, Bat-Hound and Krypto have a similar relationship as Batman and Superman." Robin nodded still trying to think of hero animals.

"He has a dog but doesn't want me." Connor asked his eyes trying to hide the pain he was feeling.

"Sorry Conner, but don't worry Bats and I have a plan for if Superman doesn't get his head out of his a-"

"Robin!" Kaldur warned.

"Nose, I was going to say nose!" Robin grinned, making it clear to everyone that he definitely hadn't been. It had done its job though and got Conner to stop frowning.

"Anyway back to the list." Wally prodded, he was curious about the animals and so far they only had dogs.

"Maybe Hoppy, the Marvel Bunny and Beppo the Super-monkey, Comet the Super-horse and Streaky the Super-cat." Robin added, thinking hard.

"Lots of Supers. How do you know so many animals?" Artemis intervened before Robin could continue listing animals that no one else had ever heard of.

"Stop interrupting me. Batman keeps an eye on everyone, duh. Now, back to the list - Topology, Aquaman's octopus might help if they do under the sea missions." Robin continued, ignoring the rest of the team.

"What about the villain's team? Which we still need a name for." Zatanna decided to take part in the discussion now, giving a shrug as an Artemis' incredulous look.

"Well Gorilla Grodd, if he counts. Isis defiantly, she is Catwoman's cat. Bud and Lou, Harley's hyenas would be interesting. That's about all I can think of right now though." Robin concluded, sitting down on the floor Bat-Hound on one side and Wolf on the other.

"I can't believe you two actually think it is a good idea to have a team of animals fighting for us." Artemis sighed.

"I can." Raquel snickered.

"Any who, I need to get Bat-Hound back home so I will see you guys later. I need to prank Batgirl and feed the Bat Hound. Bye." Robin waved as he left the mountain followed by the black figure of the Bat Hound before anyone could stop him.


	29. Trolling Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This time, Artemis and Robin team up to troll the rest of the team.  
> Again this is set late season 1/early 5 year gap.  
> Italics are the mind-link.  
> Enjoy!  
> Robyn

"Hey Arty Arty Arty Arty Arty Arty Arty Arty Arty Arty Arty Arty Arty Arty Arty Arty Arty Arty!" Robin cackled in the most obnoxious voice possible, bouncing up and down to try and get Artemis' attention.

Artemis had found herself in a rather tricky situation. She was stuck in the cave alone on a Wednesday evening, with Robin. Which meant technically she wasn't alone but seeing as she was stuck with the King of Trolling, she wished she was. Everyone else was either at home or away with heir mentors on small missions and she really wished that she was as well but Green Arrow was busy at a gala and she didn't want to go home, so here she was.

Both human members of the team were sitting on the armchairs in the lounge. Artemis sat cleaning her bow with a determined expression, planning to ignore the boy currently lying upside down on the chair next to her. However, that plan wasn't going as well as she hoped, she was struggling to concentrate on her bow and her patience was reaching its limit.

"What?!" She finally snapped looking sharply up from her bow to the Boy Wonder, who had a smirk on his face that made her want to strangle him. They both knew he was being obnoxious on purpose.

"Hi!"

"Arghhhh!" She growled before taking a visible deep breath and looking back down at her bow, trying to once again ignore him.

"Hey Arrrrrttttty..." A second later the voice came back to haunt her.

"Yes Robin?" She refused to look up and instead just clenched her hands into fists.

"I heard you had a bad day at school. What was it? Oh yeah, someone painted your locker pink and filled it with pictures of Green Arrow. Then a kid, two years younger than you beat you in gym. At archery. I also heard someone put frogs in your bag, ones that happened to just have mysteriously disappeared from the Biology classroom." You could hear the proud smirk in Robin's voice.

And why shouldn't he be proud? It had taken a lot of work and quite a bit of blackmail to get Barbara's help in his plot to troll Artemis.

"How do you know all that?" Artemis stood up sharply, staring down at the still upside down boy as if wishing him to disintegrate, her bow (carefully) disregarded.

"I have my sources." Robin cackled purposely mysteriously, before somehow managing to vanish, leaving Artemis screaming death threats to air. She really didn't want Wally to find out about her misfortune today, she really didn't know how it had happened.

It took Artemis an hour to finish tending to her bow and find Robin. She hadn't actually been looking, knowing full well that if he didn't want to be found he wouldn't, plus the quiet was nice and peaceful. She had gotten a bit hungry so had moved to the kitchen (after putting her bow away) only to find Robin sitting cross-legged on the kitchen island, eating a sandwich and looking completely innocent.

She moved past him, ignoring him, about to try and make herself a sandwich when Robin pushed a plate towards her. It held an already made sandwich, the exact way she liked it. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, glancing between him and the sandwich, he just smiled innocently (which didn't reassure her). Cautiously she took a bite out of the sandwich and was pleasantly surprised to find it hadn't been tampered with and was just a normal sandwich. She leaned against the island, happily munching away.

"Hey Artemis I couldn't help but overhear-." Robin started speaking as she was about half way down with her sandwich, his tone was just a little bit too innocent to her ears.

"You mean eavesdrop."

"-same thing. Anyway I couldn't help but overhear that you knew some Arabic." Robin continued with a Cheshire cat grin worthy of her sister.

"Yeah I know some, why?" Artemis replied cautiously not knowing where her fellow hero was going with this.

"Well, a mother figure of mine happens to be fluent in Arabic and taught me a bit. So I was thinking we team up." Robin's grin seemed to threaten to split his face in half.

"I'm not going to even ask about the mother figure, but what do you mean team up?" She narrowed her eyes at him, pausing with her sandwich half way to her mouth.

"Well I overheard-."

"Once again eavesdropping. Is that all you ever do?"

"-ignoring that rude interruption. As I was saying I overheard Batman saying we might have a mission later this week, not a major one though. Which made me think, how about we have some fun." Robin cackled.

"Continue." A grin tugged at Artemis' lips, she was starting to understand where he was going with this and it was sounding better.

"Well no one else really knows much Arabic..."

"I like where this is going Bird Boy."

"...Would you like to become my trolling apprentice my dear Arty?" Robin announced straightening up and putting on a fake posh voice, that sounded vaguely familiar for some strange reason.

She brushed the thought aside. "I would love too." She answered in a matching fake posh voice.

Man, should the team be scared. A bird and an archer were out to troll. Artemis was just glad that for once she wouldn't be in the firing line and that she could troll Wally, mainly.

* * *

Their plan went into action that weekend. The whole team were out on a simple mission (as Robin had said). Their goal was to find a small ring of criminals that were dealing weapons across several cities, and then deal with the group preventing anymore arms dealing. They weren't a very large group or even particularly dangerous, mora annoying than anything, hence why the team were bring deployed to deal with them. Well that was the plan anyway. Though, as you probably guessed, it didn't go to plan, even if Artemis and Robin hadn't been planning trouble.

Aqualad split the group into pairs on arrival at the rumoured headquarters for the criminal ring. "Zatanna and Rocket are a team, go in the east window. Superboy, M'gann you are team two, head in the west window. Kid Flash and I will go in the front. Artemis and Robin you are the last team, go in the back. No one attack until given permission. M'gann will you please link us up." Aqualad explained the plan.

 _"Link established."_ M'gann echoed through their minds.

 _"Everyone clear on the plan?"_ Aqualad asked after thanking M'gann. The group had already started splitting up, moving towards their entry positions.

_"Yep."_

_"Yeah."_

_"Of course."_

_"Perfectly."_

_"Yes._ "

Time for phase one of the troll team's plan.

 _"بلور_ _"_ (crystal) Artemis replied in Arabic, sharing a grin with Robin as they moved around to the back, already anticipating the oncoming reactions.

 _"Sorry, what was that Artemis?"_ Zatanna asked confused.

 _"You didn't hear? She said بلور_ _"_ (crystal) Robin hid his grin like an expert.

They could hear the rest of the team's confusion over the link even without words. They were trying desperately to hide both their snickers and amusement from the mind link as they moved to get ready for the attack. They had purposely chosen to be confusing but not dangerously stupid. They were crouching by some old crates next to a broken window at the back of the building.

 _"Into position."_ Aqualad commanded, deciding to ignore the pair.

Now for phase two.

They took turns acting as look out while the other shimmied through the broken window, carefully avoiding al the broken glass and dropping into the shadows behind yet more boxes, ready for the signal to attack. They could hear voices further in the building, and shared a look as they crouched behind the boxes waiting.

 _"NOW!_ " Aqualad's voice announced in their heads.

They jumped out from behind the boxes at the same time, joining the rest of the team as they leapt out from around the room. They leapt into battle, easily taking care of the surprised thugs, Artemis provided cover as Robin fought in close-combat, working as a team with practised ease. Robin moved with grace between the thugs, twirling and flipping around and on the thugs while Artemis shot with precision, never missing a shot. They could hear and occasionally see the rest of the team also fighting the growing number of thugs.

The whole time they thought the kept up a rapid conversation in Arabic, both out loud and across the mind link. The chatter in a difference language did its job, confusing both criminals and the rest of the team. Most of the team were professional enough to ignore it and still fight but Wally had made the mistake on concentrating too hard on what the pair were saying and ran into a wall (to Artemis' and Robin's amusement).

Even with their purposely confusing words, the team easily managed to subdue the criminal ring, knocking them up and tying them together as they inspected the weapons and called the police to deal with the group. They waited until they could hear the sirens before heading back to Bio-Ship to make their way back to the Mountain. It wasn't a long journey which meant the team didn't have time to question Artemis and Robin's sudden change in language.

It was only once they had finished debriefing with Batman (who offered Robin a small smile that no one could see - he'd been informed what the pair were planning to do) that the team had a chance to question them. They had collapsed into the lounge room, happy for the break, as Artemis and Robin were still chattering away happily in Arabic. Every so often they would give mischievous grins or glares at someone (not that the words matched the expressions, they were just trying to mess with the team - Wally was getting very unnerved with the glares and grins sent his way).

"What are you guys even saying!?" Rocket was the first one to break, finally asking the question the whole team had been thinking. She hadn't been on the team as long as everyone else and it showed at times with her lack of patience with their antics that the others had gotten used to.

The only answer she got was in Arabic.

"Come on dude, seriously. You are consulting with the enemy!" Wally moaned gaining him and the team identical Cheshire cat grins and even more Arabic. In fact the pair spent the rest of the day speaking in nothing but Arabic. When they returned to the Mountain the next day they were back to speaking in English, pretending that nothing had happened, when asked they would just offer confused looks and question the person's sanity and memory.

The trolls had won the day and they would be back.


	30. Holiday Fun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is a Christmas/Holiday special (I know it is the wrong time of year)  
> Set late season 1 - Zatanna and Rocket are around but Zatara hasn't put the helmet on yet.  
> Thanks for reading and enjoy!

"Robby, quick we're under attack! Alarm! Alarm! Alarm! Alarm! Al- umph." With that the panicking speedster was hit in the face with the most deadly projectile one can have at this time of year. A snowball. One thrown by the team's resident archer with brilliant accuracy as normal.

Wally moaned and sat up from on top of his demolished snow fort, which the snowball had unfortunately knocked him back into, destroying it.

"Ha ha ha, didn't know you liked snow so much Wally!" Artemis shouted her breath visible in the cold air, high on the victory and adrenaline of the fight.

"I still don't get this game." Conner announced from behind his and M'gann's weirdly shaped fort.

"It's simple, you make a ball of snow than throw it at someone. The forts are to protect you. We're in teams as this is new to you." Robin cackled from beside Zatanna in their fort.

"So are you supposed to hit your team members or not?" Kaldur asked looking at his team member, Raquel (who was shaking her head, not wanting to get hit by Kaldur).

"No. They are there to help you." Zatanna answers trying to roll up a snowball subtly.

"Why did Artemis hit Wally then?" M'gann questioned as she too attempted to make a snowball.

"Because Wally was being an idiot!" Artemis huffed as she glared at said boy.

"Well you should be used to that, he is always an idiot." Robin grinned, throwing a snowball at said idiot, hitting him in the chest and earning him a betrayed look from his friend.

"Dude!" Wally protested, his arms crossed while Artemis desperately tried to fix their failing fort behind him.

"Anyway, go!" Raquel shouted throwing a snowball at Conner before ducking back behind their own fort, trying to help Kaldur make a snowball.

With that the area descended into snow chaos. It was the first really snowy day that the team had free and the human members of the group had dragged the other outside to enjoy it. It was also Christmas eve, and the whole team were staying over for the day, before leaving mid-day Christmas day to spend the afternoon with their families. In the end, almost an hour later, the only fort to survive was Robin and Zatanna's for some reason and everyone was starting to get cold. Mutually declaring it a draw, they retreated back to the Mountain to warm up, laughing and chatting. Robin had great fun recounting a brilliant throw of his that managed to hit a branch, heavy with snow, causing it to dump its load on top of both Wally and Artemis.

They split up getting changed into warm, dry civilian clothes before meeting in the lounge where it was the warmest. M'gann, Robin and Zatanna had made hot chocolates for everyone, bringing them into the lunge and passing them out to the group. They settled on the sofas and armchairs, sipping their hot chocolate and trying to warm up still. It had been a fun fight but cold.

"Well, seeing as it is Christmas eve and about half of us have never celebrated before I think we should do something Christmas-y." Robin stood up and announced.

"What do you suggest Bird Brain?" Artemis questioned taking a sip of her hot chocolate.

"Decorate a tree!" Robin grinned.

"Where are we going to get a tree?" Raquel asked with a raised brow.

"We already have one, sheesh none of you are very observant are you?" Robin teased pointing at the large Christmas tree that sat in the corner undecorated. How they missed that they will never know. Robin left the room with a smile on his face, promising to be back in a minute.

"Emm, why do we need to decorate a tree?" Conner asked confused. The G-nomes hadn't exactly included holiday knowledge in their info downloads.

"It's something to do with a baby being born, thousands of years ago." Wally answered vaguely, hand waving the question away.

"What does a tree have to do with a baby?" M'gann asked looking just as confused as Conner.

"In the Christian religion, a the son of God, Jesus was born in a city called Bethlehem, we celebrate his birth. Hence Christ-mas. The tree thing? I have no idea." Artemis explained with a sigh, elbowing Wally for confusing the aliens further.

"Actually the trees are a German thing. King George III's wife was German and her family always decorated one, apparently it's a tradition based on an old superstition. Though it wasn't until the Victorian age that they became popular, Queen Victoria was also the first person to put presents under the tree. Cards started being made in the Victorian era. Not everywhere celebrates Christmas though and if they do than most often it's slightly different. Some of the Christmas traditions in other countries are really cool. Almost most of the traditions we have are from other countries or pagan gods." Robin expanded as he came back into the room with two large boxes balanced carefully in his arms.

"Wow, didn't know you were such a nerd." Raquel stated. "How did you know all that?"

"I travelled a lot when I was little." Robin shrugged putting the boxes down next to the tree.

"Come on, let's decorate that tree!" Zatanna bounced to her feet encouraging the others to follow her lead and move over to Robin by the tree.

No other words were needed and they attacked the tree with lights and tinsel. Baubles were hung all over it and a shining star was placed on top by M'gann. The useful thing about aliens, mostly flying one's, is that you never need a ladder. The ones that didn't know what they were doing followed the lead of the others, often with their own spin once they got the hang of it.

They had very few accidents. Okay that may be a lie, they had quite a few. Some of these included a Kryptonian trapped in lights, an Atlantian similarly entangled in tinsel, an archer attempting to shoot a bauble on the tree missing and breaking a light causing them all to go out, and finally a speedster falling into the tree and knocking it down.

Let's just say it took them three hours to decorate the tree and another two hours to decorate the mountain and put up their stockings (which they had found in one of Robin's boxes, all personalised with their names. It was more for the chance of team bonding and culture sharing than actual religion (none of them were really religious). They even added some mistletoe around the Mountain which caused a certain Martian and Kryptonian to have wide smiles on their faces for a while after they entered the room together (once the tradition was explained).

With a sigh everyone collapsed back in the lounge room, completely exhausted from all the decorating.

"I love Christmas, it's a magical time of the year!" Wally announced suddenly.

"How is a day magic?" Conner asked still very confused about Christmas, the group weren't exactly good at explaining everything at times.

"The day itself isn't magic, it just brings out the best in most people." Artemis tried to explain.

"Yeah, like in 1914, during World War 1. They called a truce for the day and stopped shooting at each other. Both trenches, Britain and Germany, got out and played a game of football. They all made friends and the next day they refused to fight as they didn't want to have to try and kill their new friends. I don't know about you, but in my mind that's a kind of magic." Robin joined into the conversation.

"Wow Rob, you're filled with Christmas facts." Wally laughed.

"We're learning about Christmas and different traditions in school. It's pretty asterous." Robin shrugged with a grin towards Artemis, who thankfully wasn't paying much attention. He knew she had definitely done something similar recently in a few of her classes, but clearly she hadn't been paying as much attention.

"Come on guys, it's late. We better go to bed so that Santa Claus can come." Zatanna joked before moving to get up.

"Who is Santa Claus?" Conner asked, every time he thought he was starting to understand what was going on they would mention something new, it was getting more than a little bit frustrating.

"Oh right, aliens, a clone and an Atlantian. Santa is a guy in a red suit that gives presents to good children and lumps of coal to bad children. He rides a sleigh drawn by eight reindeer, at least in our version of Christmas." Artemis explained.

"Prancer, Dancer, Dasher, Donner, Comet, Cupid, Vixen, Blitzen traditionally. Sometimes Rudolph is a included as a ninth due to pop culture. Typically you leave carrots for them and cookies and milk for Santa." Wally continued, listing the reindeer with impressive skill (he wouldn't admit he had been practising trying to remember them all, usually he forgot at least one).

"Why does he give children coal if they misbehave?" M'gann questioned after a second of taking in that information (to be fair it does sound very weird when you aren't used to it).

"I don't know?" Wally shrugged. "Hey Robin. You know all the facts, why does he?"

"Not sure, but it's better than what Krampus does to you." Robin shrugged.

"Who's Krampus?" Raquel asked unsure.

"A German tale. Supposedly he is the opposite of Santa, he comes and beats any children who have been bad." Robin answered.

"What is it with you and Germany today, dude?" Wally joked.

"Wait, why are we letting a stranger into the cave?"

It took a bit longer to fully explain everything to the non-human's satisfaction. Eventually though they did make their way to their beds (as it was getting late) Soon everyone slowly made their way to bed and fell asleep, exhausted from the busy day. They were all excited for the following morning including the Martian, Kryptonian and Atlantian who had never really celebrated before and even those that were old enough to know better (it was more exciting when there were new people to share the excitement with).

* * *

"Wake Up! Wake up! Wake Up! It's Christmas morning!" A hyper speedster was never really what you wanted to wake you up any day of the week, but on Christmas morning it was even worse than normal. He went into everyone's rooms, promptly at 7am (not able to wait any longer) to try and wake them up with varying successes. Artemis had attempted to shoot him but in her sleepy state missed and shot the wall, Rocket had thrown a pillow at him which hit him in the face, and Robin had thrown a bat-a-rang at him when Wally stole his covers (it just missed).

After being rudely awoken, they got dressed and gathered in the lounge near the tree, in varying stages of awareness. Conner was still yawning and Zatanna was blinking rapidly trying to keep her eyes open. They were greeted with the sight of presents stacked under the tree wrapped in multi-coloured paper and full stockings lined the wall.

Wolf padded into the room with a special dog biscuit in his mouth (bow still attached), quite content with life but interested in all the noise so early in the morning.

"Merry Christmas everyone! Come on, I want to open presents!" Wally announced before speeding over to the tree and searching through all the presents. The rest of the team just rolled their eyes at his behaviour before following him at a slower, more relaxed pace.

Leaguers trickled in as the group unwrapped presents and started snacking on treats they found. They chattered away happily the whole time, faint Christmas music on in the background. They had extra sugary pancakes and just generally had a great time together before having to say goodbye. They were all planning to spend the rest of the day with their mentors and any other family they had.

Kaldur was going back to Atlantis with Aquaman, M'gann was spending the day with Martian Manhunter, Conner and Wolf were going to try it with Superman and Supergirl (his cousin-ish apparently), Artemis was going to see her mother than have some time with Green Arrow, Black Canary and even Red Arrow. Wally was going to have fun with his Aunt and Uncle, Zatanna would be with her father, Raquel would be with her family and Robin was going back to Gotham with Batman.

All in all it had been a brilliant two days and they had at least given everyone some happy memories together, not just as a team or friends, but as a family.

Now it they could just figure out Robin's Identity.


	31. Here's To A New Year!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a new years special, set just after the end of season 1 (after the attack by the Light in the Watch Tower).  
> The song is 'Holding out for a hero' by Bonnie Tyler.  
> Some relationships are hinted at as they are canon but it is your choice to ignore them or not.  
> Some more fun, season 2, Titans and angst coming soon I promise.  
> Thanks for reading and enjoy!  
> Robyn

**_10_ **

Lights were flashing, music was blaring from speakers, people were chatting away like it was just a normal party.

Well, if normal parties included famous superheroes and everyone wasn't trying to relax after a villain almost took over the world, did take over their minds and make them attack their children.

But of course that is perfectly normal for everyone.

The team was all over the place, glad to just be able to relax after everything that had happened earlier that day. Well, the other day as it was well past midnight. It officially 2011, a new year.

Everyone was still in costume but those heroes who's identities were public or well known in the Tower were not wearing masks. Only taking them off after the Tower had been checked and security cameras were off. It was nice to have a chance to be themselves with their friends and not to have to worry about secret identities.

**_9_ **

Robin looked around from his corner, he was hiding in a more shadowy area of the room with a clear view of the whole area and its partying inhabitants. A small smile was on his face as he watched his family and friends enjoying themselves and relaxing. Both the Team and the League were taking the opportunity to have some fun, they deserved it, it had been an incredibly stressful couple of days. The only good thing to come out of the whole mess was the team got closer and were given the chance to really prove themselves, stepping up when the League couldn't. He was proud of his team, his family. He was taking the chance to have a break and a breath, everything had happened so quickly it felt like he hadn't been able to just stop for days. He glanced around the room easily spotting his teammates.

Wally was with his Uncle Barry, dancing to the collection of songs playing. The eclectic mix included Fall out Boy, Bastille, Take That, Imagine Dragons, One Direction and lots of others, he had no idea whose music it was (maybe just some they had lying around?) but everyone seemed to be enjoying it. The pair were both currently trying (and failing) to dance along to Blank Space by Taylor Swift. Turns out while the speedsters may be quick on their feet, they have very little rhythm or dancing skills.

**_8_ **

Artemis was stuck in another corner of the room with Green Arrow, Roy and Black Canary, the group sometimes known as the Arrow Family. Green Arrow seemed to be telling one of his battles stories, clearly over exaggerating and waving his hands for emphasis. Neither Artemis or Roy were really listening, they kept whispering to each other and laughing (probably mocking Green Arrow without him noticing), and Black Canary occasionally rolled her eyes at the trio.. Maybe they could become a real family, if given time.

**_7_ **

Kaldur stood across the room next to Raquel, both chatting away happily with smiles on their face. They were both noticeably more relaxed than they had been in a while. He had no idea what they were discussing but whatever Kaldur said earned him a small giggle from Raquel. Both their mentors, Aquaman and Icon, watched on proud of their proteges, having their own discussion which was likely about the pair, due to the way they regularly glance dover or indicated to the younger heroes. Smiles were prominent on their faces.

**_6_ **

Conner stood talking to Superman. Conner had only recently learned Superman's identity of Clark Kent, ironically enough he knew the name as he read (and enjoyed) the articles he wrote. Both of them looked awkward, unsure what to actually say to each other after their rocky beginnings, luckily Supergirl, also known as Kara was with them to help break up the awkward patches of silence. Unfortunately for Clark, Kara seemed to like Conner straight away and was offering to help her new cousin. Conner simply looked at her like a lost puppy. Clark sighed, he was dreading facing his parents tomorrow, it was still a mystery to him how they had found about Conner.

Little did he know that it had been a mix of Bruce and Dick, who had decided it was about time Clark played attention to the poor boy and had phoned the delightful Mr and Mrs Kent. The pair had threatened Clark if he didn't show them their grandson. Conner had been shocked and very happy to find out that he was invited to their new years dinner later on that day, even if he wasn't sure about Clark Kara seemed nice and kept reassuring him that his 'grandparents' would love him.

**_5_ **

M'gann was chatting away happily with her uncle who was in turn paying close attention to his niece. Unlike most of the people in the room who were relaxing, they were having a more serious conversation regarding her status as a white Martian and the full explanation around her stowing away on his ship. The conversation had been a long time coming and despite its serious topic both were calm and comfortable, taking the opportunity to clear the air and unwind.

**_4_ **

Robin winced in sympathy when he saw that Zatanna was stuck talking to Green Lantern. She looked like she was just waiting for an opportunity to escape as he regaled her with a battle story (likely very exaggerated). She looked very relieved when Raquel came over to save her. Kaldur and Raquel had finished their conversation and split up, Kaldur going to talk to his mentor while Raquel went to rescue her friend. The pair left Green Lantern (who went to bother someone else), chatting away and laughing happily.

**_3_ **

Robin turned his attention to the others in the room. Wolf and Krypto were running around chasing each other and play fighting, just generally having fun. They had become friends almost instantly after they were introduced. Wolf currently had a rubber squeaky toy and was desperately running away from Krypto, who obviously wanted the toy and took chase after the other, weaving in and out around the other inhabitants in the room.

The rest of the League were scattered all over the place. Red Tornado and Captain Marvel were talking. Diana was drinking and chatting with Shayera and Carter.

He was just debating going over to join them when a familiar song came on causing more people to start dancing. Robin started humming with a smile on his face, he still had no idea whose music it was but this song was certainly fitting.

_Where have all the good men gone_

_And where are all the gods?_

_Where's the street-wise Hercules_

_To fight the rising odds?_

_Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?_

_Late at night I toss and turn and dream_

_of what I need_

_I need a hero_

_I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night_

_He's gotta be strong_

_And he's gotta be fast_

_And he's gotta be fresh from the fight_

_I need a hero_

**_2_ **

Robin was humming away tiredly, eyes closed as he concentrated on the music. He was so focussed on the song that he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings and didn't notice Batman come up next to him until a hand was placed his shoulder.

"Holy sneak attack Batman! You gave me a fright." Robin jokingly exclaimed as he jumped ever so slightly, opening his eyes song forgotten. He offered a smile to his mentor.

"The team did well. You did well Robin. I'm proud of you." Batman stated, a hidden smile planted firmly on his lips.

"Thanks Batman." He paused, he had a question but was hesitant to ask it. He looked at his mentor who offered a reassuring nod, so he pushed ahead. "Do you really not remember what you did when you were under the Light's control?" Robin asked nervously biting his bottom lip. That was one of the most worrying things about the attack.

"No I don't, but I have a feeling we will find out one day and it won't anything good." Batman replied gravely.

"Not that I don't want you here, but why are you over here and not amongst everyone else?" Robin asked turning back only to find the room was almost clear of people.

"I came to get you for the fireworks and to tell you that Agent A, Batgirl and the Bat Hound are waiting at home for us to have a new years lunch. Besides you are the one hiding from everyone." Batman said raising a hidden eyebrow.

"I needed a few minutes to collect my thoughts, the past few days have been eventful. I mean Roy turning out to be a clone and the whole thing with the Light?." Robin sighed, shaking his head.

"Come on, let's go watch the fireworks." Batman stated gently guiding Robin to the balcony.

**_1_ **

The whole team had assembled right at the front of the balcony, back as a group for the first time since the party started. Everyone had smiles on their faces.

"Well done Team. We have survived and conquered all the challenges we faced, as well as proved ourselves to the League. I am proud to call you my teammates and...my family." Kaldur announced a smile in his face.

"Yeah, thanks to you Kal for being an asterous leader." Robin added with a grin.

As the fireworks went off in the background the team stood together in a group hug, all happy to have found a new family.

"Here's to a new year and our family!" Robin exclaimed as he was almost crushed at the centre of the hug.

"Happy New Year!" Everyone shouted back ready for a new year of missions and challenges, but quite happy to celebrate the peace they had in this moment.

No one noticed the League watching on, proud of their children. Nor did they notice the flash of a camera capturing the heart warming moment.

"Hey guys, how did they even set off fireworks in space?"


	32. The Dicktionary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right so this chapter Dick teaches Robin and Beast Boy his old words. Basically lots of trolling and Nightwing being a good brother.  
> This is set about year 3/4 of the 5 year gap. So Tim id Robin and Dick is Nightwing (Jason is already dead). Superboy and M'gann recently broke up, and Wally and Artemis are only on the team half the time. Zatanna and Rocket are part of the League and Kaldur still leads the team.  
> The original team know Dick's identity but I will go back and explain that (I am jumping around the time line a bit now).  
> So, team has started to drift apart and there is already a lot of pressure on Nightwing (he's struggling a bit).  
> In my mind Dick formed the Titans during the gap and eventually re-joined the team, with Beast Boy in tow, but he still help runs the titans, so this is set recently after he returns.  
> Sorry about the long note.  
> Thanks for reading and enjoy!  
> Robyn

It started with a failed mission. Well, technically they hadn't failed the mission, they had just complicated things then had to call the older team members for help. Which was admittedly very embarrassing for everyone, although out of the team of five younger heroes involved; Garfield Logan aka Beast Boy and Tim Drake-Wayne aka Robin had taken it worse. It was never fun letting down your mentors and both Robin and Beast Boy were fairly independent heroes with more practise than most of the younger heroes on the team, so having to rely on the older team members left them feeling a bit disappointed and embarrassed with themselves.

It had been their first real mission without help from the original team and they had flunked it. Both of them decided to sulk away from each other and the rest of the team, trying to spend some time on their own to deal with their disappointment.

Luckily for both of them Nightwing had been watching and had seen the poorly concealed disappointment on Gar's face and the better hidden, yet still obvious to a Bat, disappointment on Tim's face.

Nightwing had a plan. One the two boys hopefully would love, a bonus was the rest of the original team would hate it, allowing the boys to get over their embarrassment. With an evil smirk on his lips Nightwing set out to start his plan. The original team had thought they had seen the last of the troll, but they were wrong, very wrong indeed.

He found Gar first, he was sitting in the rafters in the training room as a green monkey. "Hey Gar, can you come down? I have a surprise for you." Nightwing called up, knowing that being vague would help make Gar curious enough to come down from his hiding spot. He'd had practise finding Gar and convincing him to come out of strange places during his time as the leader of the Titans.

"Why?" A quiet shaky voice came from above. "Are you going to tell us off for failing the mission?"

"Why would you think that? You didn't fail nor am I here to tell you off, Gar. Besides you should have seen the original team when we first started, we did worse than you. The whole League came to shout at us once which was very embarrassing. Anyway, can you please come down, I promise it will be worth your while." Nightwing prodded on the edge of singing the last sentence, a grin on his face.

A second of silence, then a flap of wings as Beast Boy had turned into a parrot and flew down from his hiding spot. He landed on the floor and quickly turned back into his normal green self, looking at Nightwing with apprehension.

"What's the surprise?" Beast Boy asked as he tried to hide his wet eyes and red tear marks on his cheeks. He knew he could do better than he had on the mission, he'd worked so well with the Titans but this team was different and newer.

"Come on, we have to find Robin first." Nightwing gently replied as he pulled Beat Boy into a comforting hug. A few seconds went by before he pulled away with a more composed Beast Boy following him closely.

They found Robin on the other side of the Mountain, standing in front of Robin II's statue in the memorial cave. He appeared to be talking but anything said couldn't be heard by the pair and will remain a mystery (although Nightwing knew it was most likely to do with the mission).

"Hey Robin. You okay?" Nightwing asked knowing that his little brother was not quite alright. He'd started talking from half way across the garden to give Tim a chance to finish his conversation without being overheard.

"I'm fine." Robin replied, Nightwing raised an eyebrow to tell his little brother he really didn't believe that but would let it go at the minute. He moved so he could look at both younger heroes, offering a reassuring smile.

"Okay, well seeing as you two are a bit disappointed by how well the mission went, I have a task for you. I think you two are the best qualified to keep the legacy of the original team going, especially you Robin, I thought know could teach you both something." The older hero announced with a grin rarely seen by any one anymore, it was starting to get a tad mischievous.

As he announced his intention he brought a little black book from behind his back. The younger boys could just make out the words 'Robin's Dictionary' in fancy silver text (To all who knew Nightwing's real name it would later become known as the 'Dicktionary', but they couldn't keep that on the book as it would lead to awkward questions about his identity or about why they were wearing. no one would ask about his identity or why they were swearing).

"Emmm...'Wing, what is that?" Gar questioned as he raised his hand like he would at school to ask the teacher a question.

"When the team first started I used to use a collection of words I made up as English wasn't my first language, and despite the fact that I had been speaking it for years a lot of it made very little sense. Eventually the original team joked that I needed to record all my words. What they don't know is that I actually did. I am going to teach them to you and you will become my trolling apprentices! Now are you ready my young students?" Nightwing explained cackling evilly.

"Is he okay? I've never seen him laugh this hard in all my time with the Titans or here." Garfield whispered loudly to Robin worried about his friend/older brother's strange behaviour.

"Yeah it's just been a hard week in Gotham, this is his way of coping. It doesn't help that Batman has been leaving him to look after us as he is always working or on missions, despite the fact he lives and goes to college in Bludhaven." Robin whispered back, but sighed with a slight smile, if this helped his brother than he would go along with the insane plot. "Sure Nightwing." He answered, nodding at his older brother.

"Okay so first word is Asterous, you see ..." Nightwing and the two younger heroes spent two hours learning the words and stories behind them. Despite their initial doubts, they did actually enjoy themselves and it did its job of distracting them. He hadn't told them to use the words around the team but he knew what both boys were like.

* * *

Originally the boys weren't going to do anything about their new education, but Nightwing had had a terrible week and the original team seemed to make it worse. Both had had enough of watching Nightwing get worn down and taken advantage of by everyone, so they decided to get a little revenge on his behalf.

It was a day later that the first person heard the words. The words that younger Robin had come up with, the ones that he slowly stopped using as he grew older and the team fell apart. Conner was the first person to hear the words that he thought he would never hear again.

The first one of the words, he ignored. He thought maybe it was his imagination but when he heard it again in a voice that wasn't Nightwing's none the less, he turned around to investigate the source. To his surprise it was Beast Boy and the newest Robin (not the original Robin, as much as be liked the new Robins they weren't the same as the Robin that had become the whole team's younger brother).

"Hey BB, feeling Whelmed?" Robin asked like it was completely normal. They then proceeded to have a conversation, a completely normal one at that, all while slipping in those words as if they used them all the time.

Superboy stood frozen unable to do anything as those words brought back happier memories. The escape from Cadmus, missions with the old team, Halloween, Christmas, New Year. Subconsciously his hand went to his neck where, when they weren't on missions, his old jigsaw piece necklace lay.

Unseen by Superboy, the pair had retreated.

"Operation Troll the Team is a go." Beast Boy whispered as the boys hi-fived. "Just remember don't tell Nightwing we're using his words for evil!"

They continued to do this to everyone in the original team. M'gann was the next victim, they only felt a bit guilty when she nearly started crying (it hadn't been a good week for anyone). Then Aqualad was after her, he got a sad look in his eye before telling the boys he had to go somewhere suddenly (when they clearly knew he didn't). After that it was Artemis, she looked ready to shoot the boys and cry at the same time. Finally Wally, the poor guy practically broke down (which did make the boy's feel a bit bad, but they decided they didn't feel that bad after hearing Wally shout at Nightwing for seemingly no reason at all).

They even started using the words around the newer members of the team, which confused a whole lot of them. They had never heard any of the words before but it seemed to get a reaction out of the original members of the team and no one would explain what they meant or where they had come from.

Their plan of not telling Nightwing was destroyed two weeks later when Beast Boy accidentally said asterous in front of the whole team, including Nightwing, and Mal finally snapped and demanded to know what the words meant and why they kept using them. At that demand both boys turned sheepishly to face Nightwing who was staring blankly at them. His face was wiped of all emotions. Then to the pair's surprise he burst out laughing.

"Your faces...hahaha...I knew the whole time...hahaha...thanks...haven't laughed like...hahaha...this in ages!" Nightwing managed to squeeze out between laughter.

"Wait you knew about this?!" Artemis exclaimed glaring.

"Yeah, who do think taught the boys all of them?" Nightwing giggled, yes giggled.

"Yeah, he wrote them all down in a little book." Tim announced trying not to be on the end of one of the angry archer's arrows.

With that the whole team descended into chaos demanding answers. They would eventually get them but Robin and Beast Boy had achieved their secondary target: get Nightwing to smile.

* * *

**During Season 2 - After Impulse arrives**

"Hey Nightwing! I think we have to add some words to your dictionary. You know, the ones that Impulse keeps saying? Crash and mode and stuff." Beast Boy suggested as he bounced towards said hero. Robin, who was also in the room had heard the announcement and made his way over to join the pair, nodding his head in agreement.

"What do you mean dictionary? And what about my words? Why crash and mode? How do you know that won't affect the future? Or is the word effect? I always get those two muddled up." The future speedster had also heard the discussion and moved to join the group. He had started to speed his words up but Nightwing was able to understand from years of practice with Wally and Barry.

"I think that's a great idea, I'll do it. Why don't you two tell Impulse what we're talking about?" Nightwing agreed before quickly running off leaving the pair to explain.

The team all groaned when the next day Impulse started using the words as well as the pair, Nightwing once again laughed, happy for a silver lining to the dark storm cloud that seemed to be life at the minute.


	33. Teen Titans Go!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right this chapter - the Teen Titans! (from the original cartoon).  
> It is set about the middle of year 4 (of the gap). In my universe Nightwing went and formed the Titans in year 2 and stayed there until early year 4 ish.   
> Ravager (Rose Wilson) and Jericho (Joey Wilson) are also in this as Nightwing is secretly training Rose to join the Titans (the Titans know, YJ doesn't), just go with it.  
> Red Arrow called himself Speedy amongst the Titans and in my head Red X was Jason (but that is not relevant to this chapter.  
> WARNING: Panic attack  
> Hope you enjoy and thank you for reading!  
> Please let me know what you think.  
> Robyn

Was it too much to ask for one day?! One quiet, peaceful day where no one was trying to destroy or rule the world. One day where no crazed terrorist group or mercenary put some diabolical plan into action. Actually. . . It most likely was. He really didn't have much luck and anything that could go wrong seemed to be going wrong recently, he wasn't having a good week (or month, or months, maybe even year).

Technically it had started with Rose Wilson, also known as Ravager. The daughter of Nightwing's enemy and former (forced) mentor Slade Wilson, also known as the mercenary, Deathstroke. Every week she had been sneaking into the cave so that he could help train her to be a hero with the goal of her eventually becoming a member of the Teen Titans like her brother Joey Wilson (also known as Jericho).

Despite not actually fighting as part of the Titans at the minute he was still technically the leader of the group and helped run things remotely, even going over to Jump when the situation required it. That meant he still played a role in who joined the team.

It had been one of those such training sessions when it had happened. Rose had snuck in without issue like normal and they had moved to a training room which Nightwing knew very people used. They had been practising hand to hand combat and it was exhilarating. Both of them had been trained by the same cunning mercenary and were fairly close in terms of skill level at times. It was just as Nightwing seemed to be winning, that it all went wrong.

Snap! The sickening crunch of bones being broken echoed through the almost empty training room. Nightwing was all of a sudden on the floor holding a clearly broken wrist. He looked up slightly dizzy from the fight and the pain and all he saw was long white hair, a single eye and a black and orange mask. Normally a broken wrist would be nothing but he'd been up for several days straight and really wasn't the healthiest or on the best place mentally at the minute, so he couldn't remember where he was and his mind automatically jumped to the wrong place.

He curled up in a ball on the ground, starting to hyperventilate. His mind racing, thinking back to his old Titans days or more specifically when Slade had kidnapped him and forced him to be his apprentice. He had broken his wrist just like now. He couldn't separate his mind and reality, all he could think was that he was back there. He was having a panic attack.

Ravager stood staring down at her normally strong and caring mentor, shocked to see him so affected by a broken wrist. She's definitely seen him with worse injuries and he'd not reacted like that before. Then she was hit with the sudden thought, a vague memory of him mentioning Deathstroke (she refused to acknowledge that man as her father, they weren't on good terms at the minute) had once done the same, back when he'd been forced into an apprenticeship. The reason why he was panicking crashed into her and she sprinted out the room, knowing she couldn't help him but there were others in the Mountain that could.

She slid through doorways and down corridors, looking for the one person who she knew could definitely help - Beast Boy. Unfortunately at her speed and in her panicked state she hadn't been looking where she was going and had crashed into someone, sending both of them flying to the ground.

"Hey, can you watch where- Ravager?" Bumblebee asked picking herself up and then offering a hand to her old acquaintance.

"Bumblebee, quick! Do you know where Beast Boy is? It's Nightwing!" Ravager blurted out panicking slightly herself.

"What do you mean it's Nightwing? What happened?" Bumblebee asked worried.

"I broke his wrist by accident and I think he panicked thinking I was Slade. He is having a panic attack and needs Beast Boy." Ravager explained swiftly, eyes scanning the room for her target.

"Oh no. Come on, I will help you find him." Both girls ran off looking desperately for Beast Boy, ignoring all the looks they got from the team (most were confused about who Bumblebee was with). Finally they spotted him talking to Robin.

"Beast Boy! Beast Boy! We need your help! It's Nightwing." Ravager shouted as soon as she saw him.

"Ravager? What do you mean it's Nightwing? What happened?" Beast Boy asked looking confused.

"We were fighting and I accidentally broke his wrist like Slade and he panicked thinking I was Slade. He's having a panic attack!" Ravager explained jumping around, unable to stay still.

"Where?" Beast Boy asked understanding the situation immediately.

"The training room."

"Kid Flash go into my room, under the bed is a little box. In there is my old communicator in the shape of a T find it and bring to the Training room, we will meet you there." Beast Boy ordered shocking everyone with how serious he sounded 9and the audacity to order one of the older team members around like that).

Kid Flash just nodded before sprinting off. The original Titans had explained Slade and what had happened briefly once before, he didn't know much but he knew enough to be worried.

"Beast Boy what is happening? And who is this?" Miss Martian demanded as Beast Boy, Bumblebee and Ravager were followed by the rest of the team as they sprinted back towards the Training room.

"I'll explain later just please-." Beast Boy stopped at seeing Nightwing shaking in a little ball on the ground.

"Guys do you think you can get Nightwing to his room? I don't want to do this here." Beast Boy asked in the general direction of the Team.

At that second Kid Flash sped in with a T shaped communicator.

"Here you go." Kid Flash nodded at Beast Boy, handing the communicator over.

Beast Boy took the communicator and set about pushing buttons in a seemingly random order. In the background Superboy lifted the surprisingly light Nightwing to his room everyone slowly followed until they were all crowded around the bland room. Nightwing hadn't reacted to being lifted and moved, just curled further in on himself and continued shaking.

A dim glow lit up Beat Boy's face as a holographic face started to appear in it. A guy with half a cyborg face was sitting at a computer facing them.

"Hey BB, long time no see." Cyborg called, happy to see his old friend and former teammate.

"Hey Cyborg. Do you think you can get over here, like now? Nightwing's having a panic attack about his time with Slade I could really use your help." Beast Boy asked hurriedly glancing down with concern at his older brother figure. Superboy had carefully deposited him on his bed and the dark shade of the cover wasn't doing much to reassure them of his health, he seemed abnormally pale.

"Sure, we'll be there as fast as we can. Starfire and Raven are here and we can pick up Titan's East and Speedy on our way over." Cyborg announced his face growing serious at the news of his old teammate and friend's predicament.

"Thanks Cyborg, that would be amazing. We're at the cave and I know Nightwing set the zeta beams to recognize you." Beast Boy smiled before turning off the communicator without further words and turning to face his current teammates who were barely able to hold themselves back during his chat with Cyborg.

"What on Earth is going on? Why is Nightwing like that? Who is this girl and who were you talking to?" Robin demanded his arms crossed, his worry for his brother obvious.

"Well you know how Nightwing, when he was still Robin, left Batman for two years?" Beast Boy started to explain with a sigh, being unusually serious.

With a nod from everyone he carried on. "Well, he came over to Jump city and helped form this group called the Teen Titans."

"Wait, like The Teen Titans? The youngest superhero team that doesn't have any help from the League?" Blue Beetle asked sounding excited. Clearly he was a fan.

"Yes, well Nightwing, though he was still Robin at the time, found me, Cyborg and Raven and we helped this alien girl, called Starfire, escape from some bad guys. We kind of became a team after that. Eventually another branch called Titans East started up. Their members included Bumblebee, Aqualad (Garth), Speedy and Mas y Menos." Beast Boy continued.

Just as he was about to say something else the whole team heard the Zeta Beam start up signalling the arrival of the so called Teen Titans. It didn't take long for the new comers to find the team and the room became even more crowded, it really wasn't designed for so many people.

A girl in a dark purple cloak stepped forward and gently put her hand on a still shaking Nightwing. He instantly calmed down and stopped moving.

"What did you do to him?" Zatanna asked stepping forward feeling something strange and...dark coming from the girl. She had been visiting the team at the Mountain, despite technically being a member of the Justice League now.

"I simply put him to sleep, don't worry, he will be fine." The strange girl stated calmly.

"Will someone please explain what is going on!" Batgirl shouted, her normal calm attitude vacant amongst all the confusion and mystery.

"Guys, this is Raven, Cyborg, Starfire, Mas y Menos, Garth another Aqualad, you already know Speedy or Red Arrow, Jericho and finally this is Jinx." Beast Boy introduced pointing at the cloaked girl, half cyborg guy, a floating red headed orange skinned girl, two twins, another Atlantian, Red Arrow, another guy and a pink haired girl.

"Hi." Each person waved or said hello when they were introduced, a bit awkwardly.

"Don't worry. We already know who you all are. Nice to see you again BB, you too Bumblebee." Cyborg smiled.

"What happened? The last time he was like that was. . ." Raven trailed off, leaving the original Titans knowing exactly what she had meant.

Ravager stepped forward and explained what had happened. She'd been mostly lurking in the back of the room, but had moved next to her brother when he entered the room.

"Slade. Of course it's Slade." Cyborg sighed.

"Emmm...who's Slade? And you still haven't explained who she is." Superboy asked interrupting the happy reunion, he pointed to Ravager. Conner was starting to get very frustrated and angry, he hated not knowing what was going on and this seemed like a big secret had been kept from them.

"It's your turn to explain things Raven." Beast Boy announced before turning into a green cat and snuggling up next to a sleeping Nightwing. Unconsciously, Nightwing moved to allow Gar closer, the green cat had started purring hoping to provide some comfort.

"When he was with the Titans, this new villain showed up. This villain was called Slade and he kept testing us. Nightwing got obsessed with finding out why, as he does. It turns out Slade was looking for an apprentice and had decided Nightwing was the perfect candidate. Slade tricked Nightwing into being his apprentice by putting these kind of chips in our bloodstream that would kill us if Slade pushed a button. Slade beat Nightwing black and blue, several times, we eventually rescued him but not before he was traumatized. A while later he showed up again and messed with us. He still shows up every so often, determined to have Nightwing as his apprentice." Cyborg explained watching the varying expressions on the team. A mixture between shock, sadness and anger.

"As for who this is, this is Ravager. She's Slade's daughter. Jericho here is also Slade's son. Don't worry though, they are not like their father at all. Oh and Jericho is mute." Raven continued smiling down at the nice sight of Beast Boy purring against Nightwing's side.

"Did you ever find out who Slade really is?" Artemis asked looking suspiciously at Jinx who was staring at Kid Flash with a weird expression that Kid Flash was returning, there was clearly a history there and she wasn't sure she liked it.

"Yes. Slade Wilson also known as Deathstroke. He is a big time mercenary." Red Arrow/Speedy stepped forward, arms crossed and inspecting the members of the team that he knew. It had been a while since he'd seen half of them.

"Hey if you guys were part of the Titans, why did you join us?" Mal asked looking at Bumblebee mainly although the question was also aimed at Beast Boy.

"Nightwing had been asked to return by Batman and he was going to join the team again. After explaining why he had to leave he asked if any of us wanted to join. We accepted." Bumblebee shrugged.

"So, you guys still keep in contact with each other." Wonder Girl's statement sounded more like a question.

"Yeah, we're still close friends. Besides Nightwing still pretty much runs the Titans just not from Jump city anymore." Cyborg replied. The room delved into an awkward silence before Raven decided to usher them out of Nightwing's room to give him some time to recover, leaving Beast Boy at his side. They moved towards the lounge, all a bit confused on what to do now.

"Hey, do you guys want to play a game?" Kid Flash asked, breaking the silence.

"Sure."

"Yeah."

"Okay."

"Why not?"

With that came the start of a beautiful friendship and a little more understanding of Nightwing. The original team knew especially that if they ever met this Slade, he was going to get seriously hurt for harming their little brother.


	34. Brother Moments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right so this chapter is set back in early season 1 (so no Zatanna or Rocket)  
> It is centred around Wally, Roy and Dick acting as brothers because I love their dynamic (they have absolutely know each other for years before the team forms).  
> So Roy and Wally know Dick's identity. I am also messing with Wally's backstory in the show for angst reasons.  
> WARNING: Implied/referenced child abuse  
> Thanks for reading and please enjoy!  
> (Please let me know what you think, please!)  
> Robyn

**1 - Red Arrow**

Roy Harper, also known as the hero Red Arrow, knew he should have been more secretive with his apartments location. Although they probably would still have found him, knowing both his luck and their skill. Roy had been out on patrol, enjoying a peaceful Friday night (well early Saturday morning) with the occasional attempts of petty crime; a thief here, some drugs there. Nothing he couldn't handle, and nothing particularly different or exciting.

When he eventually decided to call it a night, he hadn't expected to return home to his run down apartment to find his brothers sitting on the sofa waiting for him. Despite having quit both the team (before it even formed) and Green Arrow's sidekick, he still checked up on Kid Flash and Robin, they were his little brothers after all, and had been long before the team was formed. One of the bad things about leaving had been that he didn't get to see them as often as he would have liked, they talked on the phone every so often but hadn't seen seen other in person for a while and he definitely hadn't told them the location of his new apartment. e should have known better, of course the pair would find him, together they were quite a pair of detectives.

"Hey Roy!" Wally shouted, leaping up from his position on the couch, most likely bored to death of all the waiting. Who knows how long they had been sitting there, waiting for him to come back. Knowing the pair of them, they had waited until he left for patrol to break into his apartment and wait for his return, je knew how dramatic they were (not that he could say anything, but hey).

"You totally don't look Whelmed." Dick announced rolling his eyes at Wally but also standing up, just at a slower pace. They led him further into the room, letting him go get changed into more appropriate clothes.

Robin was right, he wasn't doing so well. He had been struggling for money and it was showing, he had been surviving on odd jobs, some work here and some more there. Some honest some not so much, but he had never killed anyone. He was just barely paying rent and couldn't always afford much food. He had left rather suddenly, cutting Oliver out of his life, and he didn't exactly have much to fall back on.

"Come on Roy, sit down. We're here to give you and us a break." Wally tried to explain lying back on the couch and putting his feet up on Robin's lap. They had settled back onto the couch sometime in the few minutes he had been getting changed. Dick raised an eyebrow at Wally for his actions but didn't shift the legs on his lap (yet).

"What Kid Moron here meant to say is that we came to remind you that we're still your family and we still care for you. Come on let's watch a movie, we brought snacks!" Robin explained. He held up a bag that was undoubtedly filled with rubbish as he moved up on the couch to give Roy room to settle down next to him (it was the only seat in his apartment).

He grinned at the pair, Roy had never been more grateful to his little brothers.

(The three of them stayed up watching movies and chatting away happily into the middle of the day, before eventually falling asleep together on the couch all curled up).

* * *

**2 - Wally**

It had started with a mission, an unusual one at that. The team had been sent to Gotham to rescue a bunch of homeless kids who had gotten in with the wrong crowd. They were mostly innocent kids and hadn't been aware of what they were getting into, just trying to survive. Batman had given them permission to be in his city, having briefed the team on the mission as he wasn't able to take care of it himself (he was about to leave on a League mission) and he didn't want Robin to do it on his own - so the team it was.

The mission itself went fine; they easily located the kids and managed to secure them away from trouble and towards better circumstances (giving them directions to the nearest homeless centres or just general tips - they knew better than to try and force the kids to go anywhere). Unfortunately, in all the discussions with the group of kids they had found out a few reasons for them being on the street. A few of the kids had run away from home after suffering abuse and neglect at the hands of either parents or foster parents which hit a bit too close to home for Wally.

It ended with him retreating into himself barely managing to contain his panic, as memories came to the front of his mind unbidden. Don't get him wrong, Wally could normally deal with it. He had to with his job, but this was just too close to the heart especially when one of the kids they found was a little red headed kid. Still he managed to hold himself back from having a full blown panic attack (he figured that wouldn't be good in front of the kids plus it would be kind of embarrassing in generally).

He'd gained strange glances from most of the team for his unusual silence and even more twitchy attitude, but they seemed to just write it off. Either because they were too focussed on the job or they didn't know anything was very wrong or maybe some other reasons entirely, he wasn't sure. The only person who really took notice of his change in state was Robin. Which he should have just expected, they had known each other for so long and the younger boy was a bat - they noticed everything.

Robin kept giving him worried glances as they said good bye to the kids (Robin promised they team he would try and check up on them when he could) and made their way back to the Bio-Ship and eventually back to the Mountain. The glances kept up through the quick debriefing carried out by Black Canary. The kid seemed to recognise that he didn't want to draw attention to his panicked state and that giving in to it in front of the homeless kids they saved was not the best idea.

The second debriefing was over, however, all bets were off. He sped back to his room, closing the door behind him, and threw himself onto his bed. He buried his head into the pillow and just screamed silently as he gave in to the panic. His breath quickened, becoming more erratic and tears made their escape from his eyes. He was normally very capable of dealing his feelings, and be dealing he meant avoiding his feelings through humour and sarcasm 9which definitely wasn't healthy but he was avoiding that fact as well).

The timing of the mission really didn't help, it was close to the anniversary of being taken in by his aunt and uncle after his father went a bit too far. It was simultaneously one of the worst and best days of his life and he couldn't help but pay attention to it every year, even if it wasn't brought up much in the Allen-West house. He never really spoke about it much except on a rare occasion with his aunt and uncle, or with Roy and Dick. So really, he should have been less surprised that Dick had guessed exactly what was going through his mind and already called Roy in as backup.

The pair knocked gently on his door, waiting for his permission to come in. They didn't talk when they came in, just sat down next to him on the bed and pulled him into a hug, letting him cry himself out. They offered reassuring words but didn't try to make him say or do anything, just let him cry himself dry, let him get all his pent up emotions out until he calmed himself down.

Slowly they started talking about things unrelated to the mission, trouble they had gotten up to when they were younger, fail moments from their mentors. It was a distraction and one they knew worked. They move onto recalling more and more stories as Wally felt his heart lighten, an invisible weight had been lifted as he got to just spend some time safe with his brothers.

"Remember the time we painted Martian Manhunter blue-."

"And the time we trapped Green Lantern in room full of yellow teddy bears-."

"Or when we tricked Flash into thinking that Batman-."

"That was hilarious-."

The league still remembers those days, and dreads the day the trio go back into the pranking business. They also held onto hope that the three of them never explain or share the art of pranking with the rest of the team. (To the League's horror, the first thing they do when the second Robin arrives in the picture (Jason) is teach him to prank the League).

(Several hours later the rest of the team finds the three of them all cuddled up on Wally's bed asleep - Artemis takes several pictures).

* * *

**3 - Robin**

When Robin came running through the Zeta Beam with red tear marks down his face and a black eye, but refusing to look at anyone, questions were raised by the team. Robin refused to answer and ended up snapping at them to shut up before walking swiftly to his room. They were used to not getting answers from the secretive hero but the snappish attitude was definitely unusual. The whole team watched him go before turning to Wally in sync, the speedster had a determined look on his face, so the team let him take the lead knowing he was likely the only one who would actually get answers out of their youngest member.

The first thing he did was call Roy. The archer answered immediately and stepped through the zeta-beams into the Mountain shortly after. He marched into the entrance room, anger and worry plastered on his face. His demand for answers about what was going on was met with silence. He turned to Wally who nodded in agreement to their silent discussion and the pair turned in sync, down the corridors towards Robin's room.

The rest of the team watched the pair go, collectively deciding to let them figure out what had happened. They didn't want to crowd Robin and it was likely to do with Robin's identity so Roy and Wally were the ones best equipped to deal with the situation. They would find out what happened later, when their help would be better appreciated.

The pair entered Robin's room, not bothering to knock. They found their youngest brother curled up in a ball on his bed, heart-wrenching sobs filing the silence as he clutched the pieces of a poster, or rather what used to be a poster. They exchanged a glance before descending on the boy. Uncurling him and boxing him in, offering their shoulders as a support. After ten minutes of sobs they managed to calm him down enough to explain what had happened

Turns out an older boy at Gotham Academy had been saying stuff about gypsies and when Dick had jumped to their defence they had started insulting him. They'd found the old Flying Graysons poster that he kept in his locker (which was open as this had happened at the end of the day when he was collecting books out of it). The boy and his gang of bullies had grabbed it before he could do anything, punching him in the face and knocking him to the ground as they tore the poster into several pieces laughing. They had left both him and the pieces of ripped poster there on the floor.

The two older boys looked ready to murder someone, but Robin managed to calm them down before they did something destructive (like try and track down the boys who had done this). Robin managed to convince them to just stay there and support him rather than seek revenge, they decide don the old tactic of distraction. Playing video games and watching movies. It was a loud affair as always:

"Hey! You cheated!"

"Did not Kid Idiot! I'm just asterous."

"Will you two please shut up!"

But it served its purpose and by the time they had to go home for the night (they didn't have any missions today and they had skipped training - the rest of the team had explained the situation to Black Canary and managed to convince her that Wally and Roy had it covered) they were all in much better spirits.

No one questioned it when the next day the older boys that had bullied Robin were found hanging off the side of the school building (not that far from the ground in case the material ripped) by their boxers and no one questioned it when they avoided Dick like the plague or when they got detention for a month (they weren't exactly liked around the school). Though everyone was confused on how they had gotten up there in the first place but the boys refused to speak a word about it.

You see the three of them were family. Roy, Wally and Dick were brothers and nobody messed with one of them without the other two getting revenge, and they were insanely creative at times, enough to still haunt the dreams of several League members.


	35. Wolf and his Cub

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right this chapter - 5 times someone sees Wolf looks after Robin and one time that Robin protected Wolf.  
> This is set back in about early/mid season 1 (but I promise Batgirl next chapter).  
> Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading!  
> Robyn

**1 - Superboy**

The first thing Superboy expected to see upon entering the Mountain was not that. Not that it was a bad thing, just unusual. Yeah, unusual was the word.

After all how normal is a thirteen year old hero sleeping next to a giant wolf? His wolf to be precise. Superboy had been away at school all day and had only just got back to the Mountain (M'gann was staying late with friends). He hadn't really been expecting to fins anyone else at the Mountain so was surprised to find Robin curled up against Wolf in the middle of the lounge. The giant wolf's tail was acting like a blanket for the sleeping hero. Thinking back he thought he vaguely remembered Robin saying something about a half day, maybe that was why he was at the Mountain early?

He slowly walked up to the pair, not wanting to disturb them. They looked very peaceful and he knew Robin had been running low on sleep lately. Kid Flash had said he had been busy dealing with a bunch of stuff in Gotham and a bad anniversary was coming up, though he wouldn't explain any more than that. It had been noticeable over the past few days, Robin had been a bit more sluggish when we was at the Mountain (not that that was very often at the minute) and he'd fallen asleep the last time they'd watched a movie together.

He edged closer. As soon as Superboy stepped within a two metre radius of the admittedly sweet pair, Wolf's head perked up. Scanning the room in search of possible threats to the boy sleeping against him. So, Wolf was apparently not as asleep as he had first thought.

Their eyes met and for a brief moment the two had a staring competition, seeing if the other was going to hurt the young boy they both cared about. Superboy already knew that Wolf wouldn't do anything to harm the boy. He'd proven before that he cared abut the youngest member of the team, probably because of his size (it was kind of comedic seeing Robin and Wolf side by side). Plus, even Wolf seemed to be scared of facing Batman's wrath when it concerns Robin.

Wolf clearly deemed Superboy safe and put his head back down to the ground. Shifting slightly to get comfortable again, but his ears remained alert listening for any sign of danger.

Superboy took one more look at the cute sight before smiling and turning around to walk down the corridors to his room. He guessed he could actually do some of his homework instead of watching tv like he had initially planned.

* * *

**2 - Black Canary**

Black Canary had been visiting the cave to check up on Robin. It wasn't a training day but Robin had broken his leg on a mission and apparently was refusing to stay still and rest. He kept abandoning his crutches and walking on his hands according to the rest of the team and Batman. As Batman was away, she'd been asked to check up on the young hero, and maybe try and talk some sense into him.

She entered the entrance room and managed to locate Robin almost immediately, entering the lounge. She couldn't see anyone else around, but she knew most of the team were away with their mentors, hence why she had chosen to visit Robin now.

She watched as Robin tried to walk to the nearest sofa, hobbling away with his crutches. Then disaster struck and it was like she was stuck watching in slow motion. One of his crutches got stuck behind something, and as he moved to go forward the crutch didn't go with him, making him lose balance and sending him on a one way path to the could hard ground.

She rushed forward to help him but knew there was no way she would reach him before he hit the ground. Something beat her to his side. Wolf had appeared out of nowhere and caught the boy on his back before he could hit the ground. Clearly the wolf had been in the area keeping an eye on the youngest hero and she just hadn't noticed them, as distracted by Robin as she was.

She stood back just out of sight, neither of them had seen her yet somehow and she didn't want to interrupt the moment. She was still close enough to hear Wolf's questioning whine and Robin's whispered answer, but not the words themselves.

Wolf helped him hop his way into the middle of the room before settling down, allowing Robin to curl up beside him. The crutches abandoned where they had fallen. It soon became clear to her that Robin wasn't going to move anywhere anytime soon. He cuddled into Wolf with practised ease, eyes already starting to close.

She quickly crept back out of the room and ran to a small room hidden near the back of the cave. It used to be a storage closet but she used it to stash things at the cave that she might need but didn't want the kids to find. Black Canary quickly looked around the shelves, searching for the item that was in her mind. Aha! There it was! She grabbed it and quietly ran back to the lounge where Wolf and Robin were.

As she arrived back she had cover her face to hide the smile that had been stretching across it and smother any sound that threatened to escape. Robin was fast asleep curled up next to Wolf, all stress and pain had been wiped from his face. He looked like he was supposed to be, an ordinary young boy free of pain and large responsibilities.

She shook her head to wipe away that train of thought for the moment, focussing back on the item in her hand. She pressed a few buttons, capturing the image forever. Black Canary smirked, she couldn't wait to send these pictures to Batman and maybe a few others.

She left the Mountain, but only after putting her camera back in her secret room (which she was sure Robin and Batman knew about). She could check on Robin later.

* * *

**3 - Superman**

Superman had been visiting the Mountain because he had been wanting to try and talk with Superboy. He had finally come to his senses (after lots of blackmail from Batman and Robin). Unfortunately he hadn't actually discussed this discussion with anyone (it had been a very last minute decision), so when he entered the entrance hall all the only person he could find was Robin. Maybe he should have checked what the kids were planning to do for the day, and who was supposed to actually be there.

"You're looking for Conner aren't you?" The Bat's protégé asked upon seeing him (like he didn't know full well and hadn't taken part in all the blackmail).

"Where is he?" He asked after a nod to answer the young hero's question.

"In town with M'gann. I'm looking after Wolf while they're out, not that he needs looking after really but it makes Conner feel better." Robin grinned.

"Who's Wolf?" He was mostly sure that there hadn't been a new member added to the team, surely he would have been told if there had been?

"Oh right, you haven't met Wolf yet." Robin smiled his mischievous grin that only came out when trouble arrived, which really didn't reassure Superman. "Come on, I'll introduce you." He started moving through the Mountain without waiting for Superman to answer.

Mildly bewildered he followed Robin out of the entrance hall and down the corridors towards the main training room. The younger hero glanced back at him for the first time offering a grin, before strolling into the room. The sight that met Superman was definitely a strange one. In the middle of the training room sat a giant white wolf. And by giant he didn't mean giant as in big he meant giant as in wolves never grow to that size.

"Superman meet Wolf. He is Superboy's companion a bit like Krypto is to you." Robin grinned, waving his hands between the pair in introduction.

The wolf apparently called Wolf (creative) sat up, stretched and slunk forward towards the alien. Wolf circled the older hero, inspecting him as Robin watched on with a grin. Superman turned with the animal, not wanting to let it out of his sight. The yellow eyes seemed to be scanning Superman for any sign of a threat. He didn't seem to find one but growled anyway, unnerving Superman.

Wolf then moved over to Robin, eyes never leaving Superman, and circled him as well. This time he seemed to be happy, protective even not looking for a threat from Robin, but a threat to Robin. "Hey Wolf, this is Superman." Robin grinned and sat down crossed legged. Superman made an abortive move to do something, the wolf was giant and Robin was tiny, he didn't like how close they were or how casual Robin was about it.

Wolf flopped down on the floor next to Robin, putting his head on Robin's lap nudging Robin's hand until he started stroking him. His tail was thumping against the ground happily but the animal was still glaring at Superman. It was a sweet moment, but clearly the wolf didn't particularly like him or trust him with Robin (which was insulting).

To be honest Superman was still trying to understand the fact that his clone had a dog, just like he did. As well as the fact that Robin got on so well with him (Robin always did seem to get on well with animals, probably from his years in the circus), but still. Either way, Superboy wasn't here so he took the opportunity to escape, he would try again another day. Yellow eyes tracked his departure.

* * *

**4 - Artemis**

When Robin ran into the Mountain with tears streaming down his face she knew something was wrong. She was the only one in the Mountain at the time, everyone else was away at some event or something. She thought he had probably betting on no one being around, that's why she was here after all (it was nice to enjoy the Mountain in the peace, without everyone else around sometimes). She wasn't even sure he had seen her.

Artemis ran after the upset hero, she followed him through the cave towards the library (which was an unusual place to go). He ran in there without hesitation, his eyes red and tears flying from his face. He moved into a little corner, mostly hidden away from sight unless looking for it, and crouched down his forehead rested on his knees. He clearly knew where he had been heading, maybe this was one of the place she went to when he disappeared? (She stored that info away for a later date).

Artemis moved further into the room and crouched down next to him, gently placing a hand on his shoulder as offered comfort. Just as he was about to say something, anything to cheer the other hero up, a giant white wall of fur moved into the room, darting towards the corner they were in. At a second glance she realised who had jumped in to help, it was Wolf. The giant white dog that Superboy insisted on keeping. They had a staring competition, which Wolf seemed to win. She shuffled out of his way, allowing him to move closer to Robin

Wolf lay down whining and started to nudge Robin's side with his head. The crying stopped and Robin lifted his head up. Red lines streaked down his face, his eyes were filled with even more tears but a small smile appeared on his face at the sight of Wolf.

Artemis sat frozen at the side for a minute, unsure what to do. She had no idea how to comfort the kid but Wolf seemed to have some idea at least. She was jerked out of her shock by Robin shuffling out of his corner to stick his head into Wolf's fur, grabbing fistfuls of the white fluffy fur and proceeding to sob his heart out. She had no idea what had upset him, but it wasn't anything little clearly.

She felt awkward just sitting there watching, mentally debating with herself what to do. She stood up slowly, having come to the decision that it was best to let Wolf comfort Robin for now and try and talk to him when he wasn't sobbing his heart out.

Yes, that's what she would do, but for now it was time to leave. She crept out silently leaving Wolf and Robin alone.

* * *

**5 - Aqualad**

The team and Wolf had been deployed on a mission, which as usual, hadn't gone quite as it was supposed to. In fact it ended with everyone in the middle of the floor, tied up as captives. The whole mission had been a trap and they had all been stupid enough to stumble right into it, separating upon arrival as normal allowing them to be taken down in smaller groups.

Robin had been the last to get captured. The rest of the team had all been tied up and dumped in the middle of the room under the careful watch of several thugs. They had been vaguely hoping, upon noticing Robin wasn't with them, that their youngest member was planning to rescue them. They were right in that assumption, it just hadn't gone well.

Robin had been literally thrown onto the ground next to them unconscious and bruised as the thugs sniggered. The team managed to shuffle themselves slightly so that Robin was lying against Wolf with the rest of the team sitting in a circular shape around him. They watched him worriedly, he was unnervingly still and his breathing was a bit shaky.

Aqualad glared at the villains, a group of mostly thugs who (they were ashamed to admit) had gotten the upper hand on them and managed to capture them (he'd heard them talking and apparently they had been warned of an attack which was worrying). His mind was running wild, trying to think of a way out of his ties and a way to get the team out of the situation.

He watched as a new player entered the room, he seemed to be higher up in the chain of command as he started ordering the thugs around. They wanted to interrogate one of them and had decided that Robin, as the youngest and visibly most vulnerable ta the minute was the perfect choice. The thugs kept trying to move forward to grab him but anytime one of them got too close to Robin, Wolf would start growling and drive them back, at least for a short while. It was understandable, Wolf was a giant animal and his yellow eyes could be quite creepy when angry.

They were in a precarious position, they were surrounded by a good dozen men at gun point. Normally they could handle guns but these thugs were just smart enough to aim them at the more vulnerable human members of the team, and no one wanted to chance how twitchy their trigger fingers were.

About the fifth time one of the thugs tried to get too close, everything kicked off. Wolf seemed to have finally had enough, unfortunately for the thug. As the darkly dressed, messy and dirty thug got near Robin, Wolf leapt forward and bit the guy's arm, holding on tight as the man screamed in pain. The noise was all the distraction the team needed. Superboy and M'gann broke through their ties, helping free the others and moved forward to attack the panicking thugs.

After that, everything happened quickly. They swiftly subdued the thugs and tied them up in place where they had been. Soon enough the police were on their way, but the team was already gone.

As soon as the team arrived back at Mt. Justice, Robin (still unconscious) was rushed to the medical room. Not that they thought anything major was wrong it was just to make sure. . he'd been unconscious a long time and it was better to be safe than sorry. It turned out Robin had a concussion and had sprained his wrist, alongside many bruises. It wasn't anything huge or worrying and wouldn't take very long to heal thankfully but just to make sure, Robin had to stay in the Med Bay overnight. The team left their teammate alone reluctantly, they never liked leaving one of their own alone in the medical bay but the adults had ordered them away to let Robin rest in peace.

The next morning, Aqualad was the first person in the Mountain awake. He got dressed and immediately made his way to visit Robin. He hadn't slept very well, feeling guilty for how the mission had ended up. He was the team leader which made it his fault (in his mind), they hadn't had a proper plan before entering and they had walked right into a trap leaving Robin to get injured. He was startled out of his spiralling thoughts upon arrival at the medical bay as he discovered that maybe Robin wasn't quite as alone as they thought he would be.

Next to the sleeping boy's bed lay the giant white wolf that had prevented the mission from going even worse and provided the distraction that had saved them. The sight brought a smile to Aqualad's face, especially when he saw one of Robin's arms hanging off the bed and his hand resting on Wolf's head.

It seemed that Robin had his own guardian angel. After all wolves were very dangerous, especially when someone threatened or, even worse, hurt one of their cubs.

* * *

**+1 - Robin**

Again it was on a mission. They had been surrounded by some assassins from the League of Shadows, which was not fun for Robin (especially with the knowledge that your foster father went out and had a son with the leader's daughter, who thankfully was not there at the minute - small mercies).

The team weren't even supposed to be there but the League were too busy and they had just happened to see the alert (okay so Robin had hacked into the League's feed but so what). So they had snuck out to deal with the threat, which they would get in a lot of trouble for later, but come on, how were they supposed to know it was the League of Shadows?

But anyway, they were surrounded by a group of highly trained ninjas and the outcome wasn't looking very attractive for the team. They were at a stand still, neither side wanting to be the first to attack. The team decided to take the only and very tiny advantage they may have and attack first. They started forward to attack and that's when all hell broke loose.

Swords whistled through the air, knives danced in the none existent wind. Water swirled and arrows flew. For a while both sides were equal then that equality went down the drain with a deafening BANG!

A bullet swirled through the air towards the youngest member, Robin. At the speed and distance between that attacker and target, there was no hope in dodging in time, even if he had seen it. It was aimed towards his heart and would surely have hit it's target if not for Robin's protector.

Wolf had seen the masked assassin taking aim and started sprinting desperately towards his cub to stop it. Just as the bullet was about to hit he leapt up taking it for him.

A stunned silence hung in the air as the giant wolf fell to the floor. Then true hell was released. Robin was steaming in anger, attacking with a fury rarely seen, leaving no room for mercy. His attack broke the rest of the team out of their shock and they doubled down on their attack with their own anger clear. They managed to subdue the rest of the members of the League of Shadows within several minutes, those who had had the unfortunate displeasure of fighting Robin had noticeably more bruises.

Moments like this reminded the team why they didn't mess with Robin let alone an angry Robin, he was after all still a Bat, and very well trained despite his age an attitude most of the time.

Robin rushed over to Wolf; quickly followed by Superboy and the rest of the team. Wolf lay on the floor whining but licked Robin's hand to tell him that he was still alive.

The bullet had gone straight in and out one of his back legs. It was nothing permanent or dangerously dangerous, but still would be very painful.

Robin pulled out a bandage from his belt and expertly wrapped it around Wolf's leg to stop the bleeding. He could receive proper medical care the second they arrived back at the cave to face the thunder. After all there was no way their mentors were letting them get away with going out on dangerous missions without permission. They had to deal with a long lecture but the team would mostly ignore it as disobeying the League was how it had all started and if they ever wanted to join the League they needed real experience.

That was the day the team learned never to mess with Wolf and Robin. After all a wolf protects it's cubs and in this situation the cub will protect his Wolf.


	36. Happy Birthday (We'll Laugh About This Someday)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right this is for Dick Grayson's birthday and the identity reveals finally start.  
> This is set just after season 1 (Robin is turning 14).  
> Barbara is training to be Batgirl so knows about the team  
> WARNING: Implied/referenced child abuse  
> Also no offence to rich people intended or anyone else  
> Anyway thanks you for reading and hope you enjoy!  
> Robyn

It started with Richard 'Dick' Grayson. The weird kid in her school that was two years younger than her but seemed to continually find new ways to annoy her. He was a mathlete and genius (not that she would ever tell him that), they weren't friends but they knew of each others existence. Acquaintances she guessed would be the best term to describe their relationship, but he was also friends with her friends (not that she had many). Despite their lack of regular interactions she had always felt a weird urge to protect the little brat, like a big sister to a little brother.

According to Bette, her only true friend at Gotham Academy it was Grayson's birthday tonight and to celebrate his foster father - the famous Bruce Wayne - was having a party for the upper class and other selected guests. Unfortunately she was one of those selected guests as she was only in Gotham Academy because of the Wayne Foundation, plus apparently the kid himself had invited her (not that she had any clue why).

The only upside to these dreadful parties was Bette's presence but this time she wasn't able to attend as she had been dragged away for a family emergency, Being on her own was probably why she was in this situation in the first place. Not that she blamed Bette (much), it wasn't like she could control a family emergency.

Artemis could only spend so much time with the snobbish brats that inhabited her school before wanting to scream, so as soon as the lunch bell had rung she disappeared outside, around the back of the school to get some fresh air and peace in a private spot she had found months ago. It was times like this that she really hated being a scholarship kid in a fancy prep school full of rich brats.

When she arrived she found that she wasn't the only one with the idea (or the only one able to find the quiet spot). Grayson and his closest friend at Gotham Academy (and one of his only actual friends, and also one of her own friends), Barbara Gordon, were perched on the small wooden bench hidden around the back of the school. She had no idea what the original colour of the bench was, over time it had been covered in graffiti by rebellious, but still stupidly rich, teenagers.

They seemed to be having a very animated whispered conversation. Hands were waving and pointed looks were being exchanged. Need for fresh air forgotten, Artemis sneaked forward and hid behind a nearby bin. Her curiosity had taken over and she was leaning forward straining to hear what they were saying. She only felt a little guilty but her curiosity had mostly overpowered that (she was eavesdropping, so sue her).

"... I know Bruce cares, I understand that he has a reputation to uphold but does he really need to use my birthday as an excuse to maintain it? Especially as the guests are all rich snobs who only care about money. It doesn't help that you're leaving me alone." Dick whined frustrated. Artemis had to hold back a wince, so maybe the kid wasn't as much as a snob as the rest of the school, she even felt slightly bad for the kid (and mildly victorious - at least she wasn't the only one who would be suffering alone at the party).

"You know I'm sorry, but I can't make it. My dad needs me. At least Artemis will be going as well." Barbra tried to reason with the upset birthday boy. Artemis leaned even closer curious about what Grayson would say about her. She really hadn't expected her name to come up and it just made her even more curious.

"No offense to her but she's not going to be any help. Rich snobs rip people like her to shreds." Grayson snorted. She felt slightly insulted at that, she could hold her own.

"You mean people like you. People who are given charity." Barbara smirked.

"That's not the same. I know how to deal with the gossip and all the rumours they spread. I've had to get used to it growing up with Bruce. She's still not very used to surviving those as-"

"Dick!"

"Absolute idiots. That is definitely what I was going to say. Completely. 100%."

A comfortable silence descended, but before Artemis could decide whether to be insulted or not Barbara broke the silence with a change of topic.

"How's the team? Are you ever going to tell them?"

"Babs! You know we're not supposed to talk about our...extracurricular activities in public."

"Hypocrite!" Barbara scoffed.

"Hey! I'm not that bad." Grayson protested.

The pair were about to continue their conversation when they heard a crash. They turned around in sync to see the bin nearest the bench on its side on the ground.

"See Babs, someone was listening in! What if you had given everything away?" Grayson shifted nervously tugging on his school uniform as he stood up.

"Chill, there's no one here." Barbara replied before shivering, a cool breeze had appeared in the afternoon air. "Let's go back inside, it's cold out here."

With that final statement the pair went back into the warmth of the school building.

A few metres away Artemis lay on her side desperately trying to control her erratic breathing around a corner. She had leaned forward too much and knocked the bin over, she'd only just managed to roll away and hide before the pair had looked behind them to find the source of the crash. She cursed herself for the rooky mistake, maybe this way why all their 'covert' missions didn't go so well.

Artemis lay on the ground, hidden away for the rest of lunch trying to figure out what Barbara and Grayson had meant by extracurricular activities. She only managed to pull herself out of her thoughts and panic when the next bell rang to signal the end of lunch. She cursed quietly as she pulled herself to her feet and dashed off desperately to her next class.

* * *

Later that day, it was time for the party. Artemis unconsciously tugged on her knee high silver dress, hating its restricting style and lack of pockets but her mother had insisted. The only thing she was grateful for was the flat shoes, she didn't want to worry about heels on top of everything else.

She hated how she was being forced to go to this stupid party full of rich snobs, especially with the curious conversation from lunch time which she still couldn't figure out. Normally she would have dismissed it but the pair had seemed so secretive and something about Grayson just meant she couldn't let it go. With a long drawn out sigh she moved further towards the edges of the party, leaning slightly against a wall next to an arched doorway that was closed to the guests.

Artemis really didn't like the fact that she was alone at the stupid party. She had already heard people gossiping and commenting on her dress and shoes and lack of make up and the old classic of her charity case status. Basically anything and everything, god she hated these parties and all the stuck up rich snobs who thought they were better than everyone else just because they had more money.

The only reason she was here was because her mom had forced her to go, with the reasoning that Grayson was her classmate and she should wish him a happy birthday. Plus, the conversation at lunch had made her curious and she felt a bit sorry for the kid. She would have hated to have her birthday taken over by this kind of party, there was no fun and everyone here was to show off not because it was his birthday.

Her plan for the evening was to stay on the outskirts of the party talk when needed and then disappear as soon as it was socially acceptable (which was when her mother wouldn't look at her disappointed).

She quickly scanned the room to see if she was safe for now. Rich snob there, less rich-more snobbish person over there and oh, the Drakes. Artemis found the Drakes annoying, they especially liked to insult her at these events and were particularly stuck up but their little boy Tim was just adorable (he wasn't at the party today though). She knew that Dick sometimes babysat for them when they went away as they lived right next door (or next door for rich people, which meant something completely different to normal people).

They were chatting away to Lucius Fox, Bruce Wayne's business manager. She had only met him once but he seemed like a nice guy. Fox looked awkward like he was trying to find an excuse to escape the Drakes, not that they noticed. She sympathised with him, she would definitely feel the same stuck in his situation.

Bruce Wayne himself was trapped in a crowd of particularly snobbish, rich snobs only to be saved by clumsy reporter Clark Kent. She snorted to herself, wasn't it a bit rude to have a reporter at your foster son's birthday? Also wasn't he from Metropolis? It seemed that maybe Grayson did have a great reason for whining to Barbara earlier at lunch time. Talking of Grayson, where was he? She couldn't see him in the crowd, maybe he had managed to get out of the party after all or she just couldn't see him. She turned back to the wall, having finished her people watching.

With nothing to distract her, Artemis' mind wandered back to the conversation at lunch. What had they meant by extracurricular activities and telling them? Tell who, what? The only team she knew Grayson was apart of were the mathletes.

A quite thud drew her out of her thoughts. A quick look around showed that no one else had heard it or at the least were ignoring it. Either were possible with this crowd. She shrugged and decided to do the same, she went back to her thoughts.

Thud! There it was again. She looked around once more trying to find the source this time. Nothing there, nothing over there and even more nothing.

Thud! Where was it coming from? Then a light bulb switched on above her head. The arched doorway. It was coming from through there. She was the closest and she could barely hear it so people further away wouldn't have ben able to hear it even if they had cared. But no one was supposed to be through there. Immediately on alert, she checked no one was looking her way before quietly opening the door and sneaking through, closing it silently behind her.

She found herself in a dark corridor nothing around. She remained on high alert, keeping one ear behind on the party and one ahead in search of the source of the thud. She relaxed slightly as she moved further away from the party, no one had seen her sneak in here at least. She turned her attention back to the corridor, a series of doors led off in all directions leaving Artemis confused on which she should enter.

Then she saw it. Golden light peaking out from under a door to her left - someone was in that room. She crept up to the door and put her eye to the keyhole, trying to find out what was going on without getting caught.

She didn't like what she discovered. There was a group of older boys from the year above her, she'd seen their parents in the main room and hoped they hadn't come as they were a particularly nasty group of bullies, she'd had the misfortune of running into them once before. Clearly they had been at the party but had cornered Grayson and dragged him into this room, out of the way from the party. Which would explain why she hadn't been able to see either the bullies or Grayson at the party. Grayson was stuck in the corner arms raised in a useless attempt to try and protect him from the merciless punches the group of boys were throwing. The thuds had been from chairs that were scattered across the room and other bits of furniture that had been messed up.

To make it worse they kept shouting insults at him.

"You no good gypsy brat!"

"You should've died with your dirty thieving family!"

"Did you cry when they fell you baby?!"

"Oh is the little baby sad?!"

"Rot in hell circus brat!"

"Charity case!"

"Little bas-"

It was at that moment Artemis burst through the door screaming insults at the boys. They jumped away from their victim, surprised at the sight of her, and swiftly raced from the scene of the crime, the cowards.

As soon as they were gone she closed the door again for some privacy and marched back over next to Gra- Dick, next to Dick. She sat down next to him as he gently took his hands away from his face.

His arms, face and legs were beaten black and blue. Tears were running down his face which was scrunched dup in pain. She could sympathise, she knew first hand how much those bruises must hurt. She let him lean against her, although she was surprised he trusted her that much.

"Hey Dick, I'm not going to hurt you." She said as calmly as she could muster, trying to push away the anger she was feeling towards those boys for beating Dick up on his birthday (and in general, but the fact it was his birthday and the fact that he was already having a rubbish day didn't help her anger).

"Thanks Arty." He sniffled trying to calm his tears, with impressive success. For once she was willing to let the nickname go, just this once.

"You shouldn't let them get to you." As much as the physical bruises hurt she knew the verbal ones were worse and tried to offer some comfort even if she wasn't particularly sure how. "They're wrong about everything."

"I know, I swear I don't usually let them get to me, it's just harder around my birthday." Dick replied between stuttering breaths and hiccups, she remembered Bette saying something about a bad past but she was ashamed to say she didn't know the exact details, only that he was in the circus and after his parents died Mr Wayne took him in. She wasn't exactly fond of the gossip like most of the girls in her year were.

"What happened? I mean - oh sorry, you don't have to answer that." Artemis quickly tried to back peddle, she shouldn't have asked that.

"It's okay. People say it helps talking about it." He took a shuddering deep breath and started his story. "Up until I was six I lived in Haley's International Circus with my parents, aunt, uncle and cousin. We were the Flying Graysons, best trapeze artists in the world. A week after my birthday, we were performing in Gotham. It was supposed to be my first show. Haley, our ringmaster was threatened by a mob boss but he refused to pay so later that day he came back and sabotaged our wires. During the show the wires snapped and whole family fell to their deaths. My uncle was left in a coma for a few years before passing away." He took another deep breath before continuing, words spilling out, ignorant to her growing horror.

"I was then sent to Child Protection Services and it was decided that I couldn't stay with the circus. There were no orphanages left so I was sent to Juvenile Detention Hall - kid prison. There I was beaten up most days by both kids and adults because I was Romani. I was still learning English at this point as it wasn't my first language, which didn't help. A couple of months later Bruce took me in. Well that's my story." Dick finished his story.

Artemis knew it was bad but that was horrible. Being beaten for weeks on end when you were six was horrific and something no one should endure. Plus, having to watch your whole family fall to their deaths before being dumped with people that didn't care when you barely spoke the language.

"Thank you for telling me." Artemis announced gently, deciding she could process what he had said later.

"It's okay Arty thanks for listening." Dick stood up, wiping away his tears and moved towards the door. She stood up too but stayed where she was. "Oh and Artemis I know it was you who overheard Barbra and I at lunch, eavesdropping is so not asterous by the way." He grinned back at her before continuing. "I have five words for you. We'll laugh about this someday." Dick darted out the room quickly before she could say anything.

Suddenly the dots connected. The team. Telling them. Asterous. Everything

"Wait! Get back here you little brat!"

That was how Artemis discovered Robin's identity. She only realised that she had forgotten to wish him a happy birthday the next day and when his families' death anniversary came around she sat with Wally and Roy helping him through it. He was after all her little brother no matter how annoying he was (though she did shout at him quite a lot for messing with her like that).


	37. Gotham Nights, Bats and Cats

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter - the team officially meets Batgirl! (and vaguely Catwoman) plus lots of trolling.  
> This is set after season 1 but there is no Zatanna or Rocket.  
> Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy!  
> Robyn

When the team were given a mission to patrol Gotham with Robin while Batman was away in deep space on a League mission, they didn't expect to end up in this situation. Though knowing their track record with missions they really should have expected trouble.

Still no one really expects to find themselves hanging upside down in chains over a pit. It absolutely didn't help they were covered in multi-coloured paint and glitter, or that they didn't even know how they found themselves in this situation.

Well not all of the team were actually there, Robin was missing.

I should probably back up and explain everything. You see it started with a dare. . . Actually that's not true, it started with the mission, as I mentioned earlier.

* * *

The team were waiting around in the briefing room, they'd been told to expect the Dark Knight as he had a new mission for them. Of course, with Kid Flash in the room it wasn't very quiet. He kept vibrating in his seat talking continuously, overexcited for the upcoming mission, while the rest of the team mostly ignored him.

"What do you think Bats wants us to do?" Wally asked, finally stopping his incessant talking.

"We don't know. Which is why we are waiting for him to come and tell us." Aqualad replied, at the end of his limit with his patience.

"Shut it Kid Mouth. Settle down, none of us have any idea what the mission is, hence why we are waiting for a briefing." Robin sighed, rolling his eyes at his friend.

"Shouldn't you know? After all Bats is your mentor." Kid Flash asked pointedly.

"We've gone through this before, Batman doesn't tell me everything." Robin answered, looking ready to tackle his friend. He most likely would have if Batman hadn't entered the room at that precise second. Immediately the tone of the room changed, the team all settled down in their chairs. They fell silent and watched as Batman marched through the room to the centre.

"Team. A few members of the League and I are going into space in hopes of finding out more about what happened when the Light took over. We will be away for a few days and the League agreed it would be a good idea for you to complete a training exercise while we are away. You will patrol Gotham on Saturday night. Most major villains are in Arkham so there shouldn't be too much trouble." Batman explained as the team's expressions changed from surprise, excitement, anxiety and a few others. They were excited to have a mission again but in Gotham? That was a whole different thing.

Batman continued seeing Robin about to protest. "Robin will be in charge and you will have to listen to our rules while you are in our city." With that a smirk appeared on Robin's lips. He had a plan. Now he just had to phone a few people.

* * *

It was late Saturday evening when the team met up as scheduled on top of the Wayne Enterprises building. The sun was still setting in the distance and a cold breeze raced through the polluted air. The group of heroes stood on the building, in costume ready for the chance to prove themselves. Most of them had done patrol in their cities so knew the basics of what the mission would likely entail but Gotham was a whole different ball park. They'd heard plenty of stories from both the news and Robin himself, so they would really be relying on the Boy Wonder to guide them.

Robin stood watching the group with a mischievous grin hidden from the rest of the group. He was counting on their reliance on him, as the city's hero and it was finally time for his plan. He'd spent the last few days preparing and couldn't wait to see how it all went.

Robin whistled to get their attention, as they had been spread out talking, waiting for Robin's signal to start patrol. They moved closer to the centre of the roof, huddling closer as the cold started to creep in. "As Batman said you have to to follow our rules. Basically don't try and deal with criminals on your own, and stay within shouting distance of the rest of the team at all times. Even with most of the major villains in Arkham there are still lots of criminals out here and most of you don't know the city very well."

As Robin stated the rules a figure in black landed on the roof behind them unnoticed by the rest of the team. She wore a black costume with bright yellow lining inside their cape and flowing red hair coming out of a black pointy eared mask. She grinned at Robin as she snuck closer to the team.

"You will also be joined by me." The stranger said enjoying watching the whole team (apart from Robin, who was laughing) jump a few feet in the air and turn around with weapons raised to face the new person.

On seeing who it was, Kid Flash groaned. "It's another Bat! They're multiplying. I know I've said something similar before but how many of you are there?!"

"I'm Batgirl. And Wallace? If we told you how many of us there were, we would never get to see these kind of reactions." The figure, now identified as Batgirl laughed, enjoying their startled reactions to her presence.

Still she was doing a lot better than Robin, he was almost on the floor he was laughing so hard at the complete and utter shock on his teammates face's. He'd been expecting it, but the sight was so much better than he had hoped for. The rets of the group continued to ask questions in vain.

During the commotion Miss Martian turned and whispered to Artemis. "In some ways Kid Flash is right. Do you have any paper?"

Luckily Artemis had a notebook and a pencil (for you never know when you may need to write something or draw something. Well, actually she had been doing homework in the cave and forgot to put it away) and started a list with Miss Martian's help.

It looked a little like this:

Members of the Bat Family

·Batman

·Agent A (they had heard both Robin and Kid Flash mention him on different occasions).

·Robin

·Batgirl

·Bat-Hound

When Robin finally stopped laughing they quickly hid the list, planning to add any other members they found out about later, but they didn't need Robin to know about that yet. He straightened up and continued his instructions.

"As I was about to say before we were interrupted. Batgirl will be helping us out this evening, as despite only just finishing her training, she knows Gotham better than any of you." Robin explained trying to subtly goad them. It worked.

"Wait, you're trusting a trainee but not us?" Superboy asked, looking put out about not being trusted.

Inside Robin grinned, his plan was definitely working. "It's not about trust Superboy. Batgirl is a good friend and we work well together but you aren't used to fighting in places like Gotham, all your cities are nicer and kinder." On the outside Robin kept his face neutral and casual as he watched everyone else get angrier.

"We will be fine fighting in Gotham. It can't be that bad." Aqualad stepped forward his face showing his anger despite his efforts to hide it. He hadn't expected this from Robin and was honestly a bit upset with the younger hero.

Almost there. "We mean no offense but you will get hurt without help." This time it was Batgirl, she was enjoying being part of one of Robin's plans instead of his target. When he'd asked for her help and explained his plan she could barely contain her excitement.

"Well, we take offense and I bet we will do fine on our own!" Artemis spat in fury. She was the easiest to rile up and both Batgirl and Robin had been relying on that fact.

The two Bats grinned subtly. "Okay then. I bet that you won't last the night without us. I even have the perfect mission - there had been chatter on the streets about a criminal using warehouse 23 by the docks as their hideout. They're not a mediocre little thug so be careful, but whoever takes them down first wins. The losers have to apologise and buy the winners pizza." Robin outlined the bet before grabbing his grappling line and swinging to another building cackling with Batgirl right behind him.

"He was baiting us. That little brat trickled us!" The realisation hit Artemis like a bag of bricks.

"Well we're dead then." Kid Flash groaned.

"Come on then team. I guess we will go see who is hiding in warehouse 23." Aqualad sighed.

"Wait! You actually want to go through with this bet? Robin most likely planned everything meaning we have no hope." For once it seemed like Kid Flash was the only one with any sense.

"Unfortunately, it seems we have little choice. Besides if Robin truly did plan this we won't get hurt...too much." Miss Martian agreed nervously, not really looking sure about her statement.

With that a sinking feeling settled in their stomachs but the team still made their way to the docks nervous about their impending doom. They had to rely on Artemis for directions to the docks, a she knew the most about Gotham outside of Robin.

While the team were on their way Batgirl and Robin were already at Warehouse 23 laughing. Their plan was going perfectly, now onto the next stage. They swiftly slipped into the warehouse and strolled over to the hidden room at the back, where the last participant of their little plan lay waiting.

"You've finally arrived birdy. Your friends will be here soon so you might want to get ready. Nice to see you, Batgirl." Selina Kyle also known as the famous cat burglar Catwoman, an honorary member of the Bat Family (most of the time) spoke up as they entered. She was currently dating Bruce and was like acting as a mother figure to Robin so knew their identities and was very happy to help them mess with their friends. It was very handy that she happened to be a thief for occasions like this.

"Thanks Catwoman. Babs you ready?" Robin smiled as he took his place in front of a microphone, he got a thumbs up before Catwoman and Batgirl left to hide in the shadows of the main room.

Just as they got into positions the team cautiously entered the warehouse. They edged their way to the middle of the room scanning the surroundings for any threats. When they found nothing in sight they slowly started to relax. Maybe this hadn't been a set up?

"The little brat tricked us again. There's no one here." Artemis huffed, she was going to kill the brat for messing with them like this.

Unfortunately for the team though those were the words the trolling trio were looking for.

"That's where you're wrong, Justice Brats." Robin announced, altering his voice as he spoke with a cackle over the microphone, hidden away in the secret room. Catwoman and Batgirl, dressed in plain black outfits and masks, leapt out at the team from the shadows.

They team were frozen for several minutes, shocked at the attack when they had just started to relax. Catwoman and Batgirl were already on the defensive though and knocked out Artemis and Superboy before they could make a move against their attackers. The others jumped to their senses but it was too late. Aqualad, Miss Martian and Kid Flash quickly joined their teammates unconscious on the dusty warehouse's floor.

Robin came out from the other room to look at his fallen team mates. Batgirl and Catwoman joined him just staring down at the teenage heroes.

"Well that was easier than expected." Batgirl shrugged.

"Meh, we'll work on that later. Anyway, now it's time for the last stage to commence." Robin cackled his signature cackle. His two accomplices grinned evilly though both were creeped out by Robin's laugh. Seriously, how could he sound so evil for his size?

* * *

When the team finally came to their senses, several hours later, the sun was rising in the distance, light shining through the poorly boarded up windows of the warehouse. Superboy broke out of his chains and jumped down onto the floor before helping his teammates escape their predicament. Unfortunately they could do nothing about the paint and glitter that covered their costumes and faces.

They inspected the warehouse, on high alert, but could fid no signs of anyone having ever been there. The warehouse was completely empty and the dusty floor held no footprints bar their own. Watching as the sun rose higher in the sky they decided to admit defeat and cautiously made their way back to the roof of Wayne Enterprises. The were greeted with the sight of Robin and Batgirl waiting for them impatiently.

"Where were you guys it's almost nine o'clock?" Robin asked tapping his foot. He was faking his impatience, but they didn't need to know that, he knew exactly where they had been. They'd gassed the team with a mild sedative that would keep them asleep until morning and left a guard on the warehouse so no actual criminals would accidently stumble across them.

"We got captured by a criminal. He disappeared before we could catch him." Aqualad admitted sheepishly, he was still a bit suspicious of Robin but honestly either way, they shouldn't have been captured that easily. When Black Canary found out, they would have to suffer through lots of training, he wasn't excited for that.

"Wait. Where were you guys?" Kid Flash asked his eyes narrowing, he was definitely suspicious of his friend, he'd known him long enough to be worried.

"We captured the villain, swiftly took him to Arkham and then spent the rest of the night patrolling the streets. Which means as you failed to catch him we won the bet." Batgirl smirked.

"How did you capture him? You would have arrived before us but he took us out so obviously you didn't." Artemis stated getting even more suspicious and annoyed with the duo than she already was. It was at times like this they were glad that the team didn't know their identities (bar Wally with Dick's).

"Well you obviously went to the wrong warehouse. Which one did you go to?" Robin tried to counteract the suspicious archer, who was struggling to look threatening while being covered in paint and glitter. It just didn't go well together.

"Warehouse 23 just as you said." Superboy had his arms crossed as he joined the argument.

"No, I said warehouse 33."

"No you didn't!" Kid Flash argued back.

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"That's enough of your arguing. Robin and Batgirl won and we will buy them pizza next week. For now let's all just go home and sleep." Aqualad gave in, he really couldn't deal with this any longer, it had been far too long a night.

"After getting rid of this paint and glitter." Miss Martian added, staring down at her glittery hands, that wouldn't be fun to wash out.

With that the team departed, going to the closest zeta-beam so they could return to their own cities or the Mountain. They were tired and grumpy and covered in paint. They had no idea how to explain that to their mentors and were just glad most of them were away on missions.

Soon it was just Batgirl and Robin on the roof top, watching the other heroes disappear in the distance.

"I can't believe that actually worked." Batgirl announced as they leapt off the roof and started swinging back to the cave.

"You have so little faith." Robin pouted.

"No, I just know you." Batgirl shouted before rushing forward across the next roof.

"Hey, take that back! Get back here!" Robin chased after her both laughing having enjoyed a night of trolling the team.

And that was how the team met Batgirl, patrolled Gotham and sort of met Catwoman.


	38. Mommy Cats

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, this chapter - the team is patrolling Gotham again and run into a nastier Gotham Villain. Thankfully Wally know where to take an injured Robin.  
> This is set after season 1 again but no Zatanna or Rocket (they're busy doing something or other).  
> Anyway, hope you enjoy and thank you for reading!  
> Robyn

The team swung/flew/ran across the rooftops of Gotham once again, having been given a second chance after the last slightly disastrous attempt. They had been given the task to last the night and take out any minor criminals they found. Batman and Batgirl were patrolling as well taking out any of the more dangerous villains who dared to be out that night (they weren't being trusted on their own without adult supervision this time, nor was Robin).

They had made their way to the docks, knowing that was usually a hot spot for criminal activity with all the abandoned buildings. They were inspecting one of the many empty warehouses when everything went wrong. They'd split up into pairs and silently entered through different windows, sticking to the shadows. This was the fourth warehouse they had tackled, so far the only thing they had found was rats but they'd heard some noise from this warehouse sp they were holding out hope for soma action (or at least some of the team was).

They had struck gold. A gang of thugs, heavily armed inhabited the dusty warehouse, some of them were patrolling the entrances while the majority stood in the centre, quietly muttering to each other, like they were waiting for something or someone. The team snuck around the edges hiding behind crates and boxes trying to meet up without being spotted by the thugs.

Eventually they managed to get together in a dark corner, near a broken window and behind piles of crates. Everyone had their weapons in hand ready to attack the second they needed to. A couple of the group kept watch on the thugs at all times.

 _"Remember we are here to practise teamwork so no unnecessary risks. Batman and Batgirl are patrolling and will take out any major threats and criminals. We are only to fight small groups as this is not a real mission."_ Aqualad reminded the team through the mind link looking specifically at Kid Flash and Robin.

 _"Hey! Why are you looking at us like that?"_ " Kid Flash protested loudly in their minds as the rest of the team, including Robin, just raised an eyebrow at the speedster.

 _"You two are usually the ones who get into trouble and get injured more than anyone."_ Aqualad glared at the two troublemakers. Robin just shrugged but Wally pouted.

 _"So, what's the plan?"_ Artemis asked fingering her bow impatiently, eyes watching the activity in the middle of the room.

 _"We sneak around in pairs and take care of the men from all angles. Kid Flash and Artemis go right, Superboy and Miss Martian go left, Robin and I will get the men in the back. Move into position and attack on my mark."_ Aqualad instructed.

The pairs moved swiftly and silently into position, keeping to the shadows as they around the group of thugs. There were over a dozen of them and the guns they carried certainly weren't small.

Once in position Aqualad gave the signal and the pairs attacked. Robin knocked out two men while flipping and giving his signature creepy cackle with Aqualad next to him knocking out any that got too near. Kid Flash knocked out a guy while speeding away and dodging bullets while Artemis shot a pair with a rope tying them together. Superboy and Miss Martian worked together taking out any thugs that got too close. The team fought with practised ease.

It looked like the team was winning this battle for once. Unfortunately for them they weren't actually. While they were all distracted taking out the thugs a hidden figure had released a can of gas that was slowly starting to show its effect. The person the thugs had been waiting for had arrived and he had brought a nasty present.

 _"Gas!"_ Robin shouted being the first one to spot it, curling around their feet.

 _"What is it doing?"_ Miss Martian asked confused. Before anyone could answer her question Artemis dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes, not moving.

 _"Artemis!_ " Kid Flash shouted just as he dropped to the floor as well.

 _"What's wrong with them?"_ Superboy asked as he took out yet another thug, focus split between their vulnerable teammates, the gas circling them and the thugs attacking them.

Aqualad dropped next quickly followed by Superboy and Miss Martian. Robin, being the only one smart enough to cover his nose and mouth with his sleeve in an attempt to delay the effects of the gas, was the last to drop. The team were completely unprotected, unconscious in the lair of a villain with no help on the way.

When the team awoke they were in a different dark room, tied to chairs in a circle back to back. They all struggled against the ties but even the super-powered heroes couldn't break themselves free.

A figure entered the room and Robin's eyes narrowed trying to figure out which villain it was, how to escape and get the team out of here and about a thousand other things. The gas and having just woken up was making his mind a big foggy, frustrating him as he should know who had attacked them.

"It is a shame. I was hoping to try my latest gas on the Bat, but the Boy Blunder and the Justice Brats will have to do." The figure stepped out of the shadows with a menacing sigh, revealing how un-disappointed he actually was.

"Scarecrow. When did you get out of Arkham?" Robin asked glaring at the villain. He knew exactly who they were up against and it wasn't anyone good. They were in some serious trouble. All he could think to do was play for time until they missed the meet up time with Batman, he had no idea how long had passed since they'd been knocked unconscious but he was struggling to think of a better plan. Scarecrow had stolen his utility belt so he couldn't even try and sneak anything from that. Still as he talked, he worked on getting his hands free of their bindings, good thing he had something up his sleeve (or more accurately in his boot).

"Wait, Robin don't you mean how did he get out of prison?" Kid Flash exclaimed as he tried to vibrate through the rope trying them to the chairs with no success.

"Nope, there's no point in asking them that. It usually had something to do with corrupt police and prison wardens. Or another daring plot." Robin replied casually trying to hide his fear of the gas that Scarecrow had no doubt somewhere. He wasn't exactly a creative villain, his plots were often similar in nature, but no less dangerous.

"Quite brats. For that remark Bird Boy, you get to go first." The fear obsessed villain moved towards the group, revealing a large needle in his grip. The rest of the team struggled, shouting obscenities and promises while Robin just took a deep breath to prepare himself as Scarecrow stabbed him in the arm with his latest fear gas concoction.

"Lets leave them all alone for a few hours. See how much they can bear hearing the bird scream." He ordered the thugs who had been standing around on guard before exiting the room himself, they followed their leader leaving the team alone in the dark.

"Robin are you alright?" Miss Martian called her tone expressing her worry, they'd given up on the mind line now that they were alone. "What's going on?"

"I am fine. We need to get out of here. Scarecrow had a fascination with fear, he creates gases, like the one he just injected in me, to make people experience their worst fear, he loves coming up with new versions. He will use it on you as well if we don't escape, at least I know what to expect and how to deal with it, none of you do. Miss M, can you cut me from the mind link? I don't want any of you to feel, see or hear anything." Robin grimaced.

"How do we escape?" Artemis asked more aware of who they were facing than the others, bar Robin.

"This might help." Robin held up a bat-a-rang with which he had just finished cutting his ropes with.

He handed it quickly to Aqualad who was to his right before standing up, stretching. A second later he collapsed to the ground, screaming. Aqualad hurriedly cut his ropes freeing himself before freeing the others knowing the only way to help Robin was to escape, no matter how much it hurt to hear Robin's screams and see him twitching on the ground.

Once they were all free they ran over to Robin who had hunched himself into a ball and was shaking, tears were visible and every so often he would scream. It was a heart wrenching scene. Aqualad gently picked up the distressed hero. Artemis and Kid Flash grabbed their weapons which had been abandoned in a corner.

Superboy who was in no mood to sneak around after seeing his teammate, his friend, his little brother in such pain simply punched a whole in the wall. With his anger he quickly created a hole large enough for everyone to escape through into the dark of the night.

The moon was still high in the sky and the Bat was nowhere to be seen. Their communicators had been smashed to pieces and they had no idea where to go. They stood in the shadow of the warehouse, unsure where to go. They had no idea where Batman would be, no way to communicate and there was no guarantee someone would be able to help at the Mountain, if there was any adult there at all.

"Guys, I might know someone who can help us." Kid Flash suddenly exclaimed, he'd been running through all the people who could help them that were nearby (it wasn't a long list). With a nod from Aqualad he lead the way. They dashed across the roofs after id Flash, ending up in front of an apartment block in the nicer part of town ten minutes later. Instead of going through the door, Kid Flash ran right up the building to the top floor where there was a balcony. With a little bit of help from each other the whole team was soon on the balcony (it was vaguely crowded with so many of them up there but they barely noticed). Kid Flash went over to the door into the clearly expensive apartment and knocked before waiting, when no one answered he knocked again.

Just as he went to knock a third time a figure came around a corner towards the door. In front of the team stood Catwoman looking curiously out at the young heroes on her balcony but her curious expression turned worried as soon as she saw Robin in Aqualad's arms.

She opened the door, any hesitance now gone and lead them into her apartment without a word. She took Robin from a reluctant Aqualad 9after getting a nod of reassurance from Kid Flash) and lay him down gently on the sofa.

"What happened?" She asked glaring at the teens, speaking for the first time since they had been reluctantly invited in.

"Scarecrow. Fear gas." No other explanation was needed and she ran off to another room, leaving the worried teens alone with a screaming Robin.

"Kid Flash, what are you thinking!? Catwoman is a criminal!" Artemis practically screeched at Kid Flash as soon as the famous thief disappeared. The rets of the team looking decidedly unhappy as well.

"It's okay. Robin introduced me to her. She has this weird thing with Batman so basically acts like a mother to Robin. She is also very protective of him when he gets hurt. You've all met Daddy Bats let me introduce you to Mommy Cat." Kid Flash grinned pleased with his introduction.

As this conversation happened two cats had made their way towards the sofa, prowling out from the shadows and leaping onto the sofa to curl up beside the shaking Boy Wonder. One of the cats was a tabby with a white beard and pink nose, the other was pure black and blended perfectly into the shadows.

Catwoman then rushed back into the room with a medical needle glinting in the light. She stepped forward and sat on a little part of the sofa that hadn't been taken by a Bird or any cats. She gently peeled back one of his sleeves and injected him with whatever was in the needle. Despite wanting to interfere the team stayed back after a look from Kid Flash. She was far more gentle with him than Scarecrow had been.

"It is an antidote to the fear gas." She explained at their guarded looks.

Almost instantly Robin stopped shaking and visibly relaxed but remained unconscious. Catwoman gently stroked his hair with a small smile on her face, watching him for several minutes, looking for any sign of a reoccurrence or episode. Upon finding nothing she glanced back to the watching team.

"He'll be fine, he just needs to rest. Topsy and Turvey adore him, they'll help him." She gestured first to the black cat then the tabby. "Go meet Batman, tell him I will bring Robin home when he wakes up."

Taking that as a dismissal the team slowly left the room, glancing back at their injured teammate until the apartment disappeared form sight. They ran/flew/swung back over the roof tops to where they had promised to meet Batman the evening before, they were late by about half an hour and none of them were in a good mood. The Dark Knight stood there waiting and if the team hadn't known better they would have sworn they saw a flash of emotion when he noticed their youngest member missing. Batgirl wasn't there, likely already sent home.

"Where is Robin?" No hello, how are you? How did it go? Just straight to the point. Fair enough, it was his protégé missing.

"We were attacked and surprised by the villain Scarecrow and our communicators smashed. Robin was unfortunately injected with fear gas, he managed to explain the situation before he collapsed. Kid Flash took us to Catwoman who Robin had introduced him to. She injected him with an antidote and sent us back telling us to inform you that she would take him home when he woke up." Aqualad stepped forward to give the report matter of fact, as he was team leader and therefore responsible for the others.

Batman nodded and told them to go home gruffly. As soon as all the teens had disappeared he swung his way over to Catwoman's apartment.

The sight he was met with made him smile Robin was fast asleep on the sofa with a blanket of cats. Catwoman stood watching with a smile on her face.

When he entered behind her he spoke. "Thank you for looking after him."

To her credit she didn't even jump. "Of course, he is like a son to me."

The pair stood there watching their son in all but blood sleep peacefully.


	39. Media Problems, Secrets Revealed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter - I finally get back around to what the story was about originally (my friend enjoyed side tracking me with requests). Another member of the original team discovers Robin's identity.  
> So this is set after season 1 and Robin's birthday so both Artemis and Wally know his identity already. (Zatanna and Rocket aren't in this one either).  
> Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy! (Jason is next chapter).  
> Robyn

Once again the team were in Gotham, they seemed to be there a lot recently. Although this time it was daytime and the team were in civilian clothes. They weren't here for a mission, they were simply having a day off for 'team bonding'. They'd wanted to get out of the Mountain for the day and they'd explored everywhere in Happy Harbour so had decided to go somewhere else for the day. Artemis and Robin had (eventually) managed to convince the rest of the team to come to Gotham.

It was a surprisingly nice Saturday and the team were enjoying exploring the nicer parts of Gotham lead by Robin with the help of Artemis. Robin wore his signature sunglasses to hide his identity both from the team and any passing by civilian who might recognise him.

They had been casually strolling along Amusement Mile, an amusement park full of the usual rides from carousels to roller coasters to a giant Ferris wheel that over looked half the city. It was actually a really fun place if you knew how to be careful, it wasn't too dangerous. Then again it was still Gotham, so that meant something different from most other cities.

Wally was eating candy floss and trying to convince Kaldur to have some (Kaldur's answer was a resounding 'no'). Artemis and M'gann were discussing which ride to go on next. Conner was looking around curiously at everything. Robin on the over hand was slightly on edge. He had been glancing around cautiously for the two hours they had been at the park. Not the kind of 'there-might-be-villains-here' look it was more the 'I-am-expecting-something-bad-to-happen' look. Which was only slightly better.

Robin had every right to be cautious, for something did indeed happen. Although, whether it was 'bad' or not depends on your point of view. To Robin's? Probably not the best thing that could have happened but definitely not the worst.

Coming towards the group was about half a dozen people. Some with cameras others with microphones or notebooks. A crowd of vultures, more commonly known as reporters. As soon as Robin spotted them he turned to the team while keeping the approaching people in his eye line.

"I have to go, but I will meet up with you later. I just got a message from Batman. Important Bat stuff. Bye!" He rattled out an excuse before sprinting away pulling his hood up to try and cover his face better.

Wally raised an eyebrow suspiciously at his friend before shrugging. He knew Robin wouldn't get into too much trouble. Not at least without calling for some help. Artemis raised an eye at the retreating hero, something was up.

"What was that?" M'gann asked looking worried after the young boy.

"Who knows. He's a bat. They're all weird and suspicious, if he wishes to live up to that let him." Artemis shrugged, Robin probably had his reasons for disappearing, it may not be good but he would have one.

It was at that moment the group of adults that had, unknown to them, scared off Robin arrived at the group. They were now standing around in the middle of the path, blocking the teen's escape routes. The team were quite taken aback by the group suddenly surrounding them. Both Artemis and Wally seemed to realise what had happened the second the first person opened their mouth.

"Gotham Gazette reporting live from Amusement Mile. Richard Grayson, ward of Bruce Wayne was spotted with a group of teens here. Richard more commonly known as Dick Grayson is captain of the mathlete team at Gotham Academy and recently has won the Gotham Math Cup and will be leading his team to the State Championships. . ." One of the reporters, a smartly dressed lady with a pinched face and microphone announced in front of a guy with a a camera.

"I am really sorry, but you must be mistaken. We haven't seen anyone else let alone someone as famous as Richard Grayson." M'gann spoke up, not mentioning Robin thinking it an honest mistake. She'd seen Richard Grayson on tv before, so at least knew who they were talking about.

"What about the boy that ran away from your group?" The lady pointed out, looking at the teens with disbelief clear on her face.

"That was our friend Rob. He needed the bathroom." Wally stepped in knowing what was going on. He was stuck between keeping a serious face for the reporters and trying not to laugh at his best friend's misfortune. Artemis was barely holding back her snickers in the back of the group.

"Are you sure?" The lady pressed.

"Yes! We know our own friend's name. Leave us alone lady." Wally narrowed his eyes arms crossed.

"Humph." The lady answered before the gaggle of reporters disappeared back into the crowd. The teens were left alone, bystanders giving them odd looks.

"What was all that?" Kaldur asked confused.

"A mistake. Come on, let's go on another rollercoaster. Rob will join us later." Wally replied already running towards a colourful ride. His distraction technique worked as the team shrugged and started to follow, well all apart from Conner.

"Hey, Conner you coming?" Artemis questioned seeing that he hadn't moved.

"No, it's okay. I will meet up with you guys later." Conner answered, waving off her concerned look. She didn't get a chance to say anything else as Wally dragged the rest of the group away.

"Okay. We will see you later." Wally shouted as they moved away towards the ride, leaving Conner behind.

As soon as Conner could no longer see or hear them, he wandered in the direction Robin had run. He strolled past rollercoasters, tea cups, a carousel and a maze. Taking in the sounds and smells as countless people wandered around him. When he had moved past yet another food stall he heard it. Shallow breathing coming from a small alley way to his right, hidden behind the trailer for one of the rides. He recognised the heart beat as Robin's, he had been learning the team and League's so he could identify them in battle.

He turned into the alley casually, making sure no one saw him. He strolled to the back where he knew Robin was hiding. When he finally reached his younger friend, he found him curled up with his head on his knees, taking deep breaths but noticeably calmer than he had been before.

"Are you okay?" Conner asked as he sat on the grass next to Robin, back against the trailer. He didn't look at Robin, just stared into the distance.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired." Robin lifted his head, his breathing calm now, but he didn't look at Conner.

"Why are you running from the media?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Robin denied, expression blank but his tone was bordering on desperate.

"As soon as you saw the group of reporters you ran away with a terrible excuse. Then they come asking about a boy. . . I'm not stupid. Besides you have been giving out clues all over the place." Conner said finally looking at him.

"At least someone finally figured it out, I basically had to tell Artemis. It's nice to meet you Conner. My name is Richard Grayson but I prefer Dick." Robin offered his hand.

"It is nice to meet you. The real you, I mean. So who are you outside of Batman and Robin?" Conner smiled at the boy he considered a younger brother, glad to finally know his actual name and be trusted with his secrets.

"I was a circus acrobat but my parents were killed when I was younger during a show in Gotham. After a few months in juvie as there were no foster homes, I was taken in by Bruce Wayne. A short while later I discovered the Bat Cave and it wasn't hard to figure out that Bruce was Batman. I ran after the person who killed my parents I took him down but Batman found me. Then I had to spend weeks annoying him until he allowed me to become Robin." Robin, no Dick, laughed.

"Why don't you like the media? If you don't mind me asking." Conner questioned, the question had been bothering him and he didn't want to stir up horrible memories by digging deeper into Robin's past.

"Ugh. They're always following me, gossiping about anything and everything. It's always about rubbish gossip as well or about my math competitions at the minute. I hate it." Dick groaned, lifting his head to gently throw it back against the trailer.

"Math competitions?" Conner tilted his head to the side in confusion as he watched Dick.

"Yeah, I am a mathlete. It is one subject I excel at compared to English at least. Do you know how hard English is to learn when you have grown up with another language?" Dick threw his hands in the air. A comfortable silence settled.

"Won't you get in trouble with Batman by telling me this?" Conner asked breaking it after several minutes.

"Nah, he gave me permission to tell you all a while a go. I just wanted to have some fun and see how long it took you to figure it out for yourselves." Dick cackled. "It's taking far longer than I thought it would, I thought I was being pretty obvious at this point."

"So I was right during the charity ball?" Conner smiled that had always bothered him.

"Yep. For the record that was hilarious to listen to. M'gann was right as well, about Barbra being a hero. She is Batgirl. You should have seen Bruce's face when she showed up and started heroing." Dick smiled.

"Is 'heroing' even a word?" Conner raised an eyebrow.

"It is now, besides you know that I have a way with words." Dick looked at Conner happily. "You're the second person to actually figure it out. Artemis learnt a little while back and Wally and Roy already knew. Oh, please don't tell anyone else. I have plans."

"Of course, though I pity them as your sanity is questionable. C'mon, we should probably get back to the others." Conner sighed as he stood up, offering a hand down to help Dick.

"Probably." Dick stood up as well. "How about I tell you a few stories as we walk?"

"I'd enjoy that."

"Well, there was this time that Wally and I tricked Roy into thinking we were villains and kidnapped him, he screamed like a little girl when we used voice changers and blackmail. Oh and another time.. ." Robin cackled as they walked back.

Finally Conner was added to the group of people who knew. It was about time the team knew the truth.


	40. Jay Bird

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right this chapter - the team meets Jason!  
> This is set about the start of the second year of the five year gap. Jason is thirteen, Dick is fifteen. Zatanna and Rocket are actually here for once. In my mind it is just before Dick leaves to form the Titans. (Jason is still mostly in training).  
> I'm making up my own timeline (and yes I know they don't actually get on in the comics but tough).  
> Thank you for reading and hope you enjoy!  
> Robyn

_B-01 Robin and Guest_

The announcement of Robin's entry and a guest caught the team's attention. They exchanged a curious look before moving to get up from where they were all sitting around watching tv in the lounge. They wandered through to the entrance hall to meet up with their team member and his guest, curiosity was high. All were wondering who their youngest member could be bringing to the mountain, it wasn't often that guests were brought into the Mountain.

Out of the zeta beams came Robin in civilian clothes, with his signature sunglasses in place. A joyful smile was threatening to split his face. He strolled over to where everyone else stood waiting to see who he had brought with him. They didn't have to wait long.

Just behind him, a younger boy with similar sunglasses and civilian clothing shuffled through into the entrance hall. The unfamiliar kid wore a red hoodie and blue jeans with sneakers that squeaked as he moved along the floor. He had dark hair and was only just smaller than Robin but slightly bulkier. He looked nervous about something.

"Hey guys!" Robin chirped, happy to see his friends. He had been busy in Gotham for the past few weeks and unable to really visit the team, he'd missed them.

"Hey Rob! Who's the kid?" Wally exclaimed, glad to see his best friend properly again.

"I'm not a kid!" The unfamiliar kid denied, stepping forward next to Robin with his arms crossed. His nervousness was forgotten in place of his annoyance.

"Be nice Kid Flash." Kaldur glared at Wally before looking apologetically at Robin's guest. "I am sorry, Kid Flash means no insult."

"It is alright Kaldur. This is . . . Erm let's call him Little Bird." Robin shrugged. He probably should have thought of a codename for him before going to the Mountain, but it wasn't like he could just call him Robin, that would be far too confusing.

"Hey! I'm not little." The kid, apparently Little Bird denied, turning his annoyance onto Robin who just smirked at him.

"Well, what do you want to be called?" Robin asked looking at the younger boy.

". . . I don't know. Just not little." The kid decided, looking less annoyed at the choice but still a bit put out.

"Fine. How about Jay Bird?" Robin suggested.

The kid thought about it for a minute before nodding. "Yeah, okay."

"Okay then, glad that's sorted. Team meet Jay Bird." Robin reintroduced him to the team, waving his hands dramatically.

"Eh and who is he?" Artemis questioned looking amused at the pair's argument. Despite the name it hadn't actually explained who the kid was or why he was here.

"He is the newest member of the Bat Family, as you like to call it. He is also my new little brother." Robin grinned.

"That is another one to add to the list." M'gann whispered to Artemis who gave a grin back, they weren't as quiet as they thought they would be and were overheard.

"What list?" Raquel asked, she and Zatanna were standing closest to the other girls. They were still whispering, seemingly understanding that the girls didn't want to be overheard.

"It is a list we made of the members of the secretive Bat Family." Artemis replied. Lucky for the girls none of the boys had heard their whispered discussion, they were too busy discussing what they were going to do next. The excitement of meeting a new member of the elusive Bat Family was mostly wearing off and now they were trying to figure out what to actual spend the time doing, it had been a while since they had got to spend time with Robin.

"Let's play video games! I want to see if I can beat the new kid." Wally was practically bouncing up and down, excited to spend time with his friend and the new hero.

"If he is a Bat like Robin then you are going to lose and badly." Conner stated.

"Wow Conner, I wasn't aware you had a sense of humour. Besides Robin always cheats, the baby Bat might not be that good yet." Wally whined. He didn't even bother keeping up with secret identities, knowing the young Bat would already likely know all their identities (plus he'd kinda forgotten in all his excitement).

"I do not!" Robin stuck his tongue out at his friend, protesting his claims. He turned away from the rest of the team and lead the way to the lounge to set up a game. It had been a long time since he had a chance for any sort of break and honestly, getting to play video games with his friends sounded brilliant. They settled back down in the lounge, which had acquired more chairs over time (due to their increasing number of members), all happy to just be spending time as a team again.

"Lets have a bet on whether Wally or Jay Bird will win." Zatanna suggested, grinning at the bickering pair. There was no point betting on whether Robin would beat Wally, that was obvious.

"I do not think it would be -." Kaldur started to say but was interrupted.

"Calm down Kaldur. It's just a little fun, it won't hurt anybody." Raquel tried to sooth their team leader. He sighed in response and let the rest of the group continue placing bets. They decided the game they would play would be Mario Kart and the controllers were passed to Wally and Jay Bird ready to start. Robin, Conner, Zatanna and Artemis had bet on Jay Bird, while Raquel and M'gann had bet on Wally. Kaldur had refused to place any bets, trying to maintain his reputation as the most mature member of the group.

The pair played game after game trying to beat each other as the rest of the group watched, providing commentary and encouragement. It was nice to just unwind sometimes. There were tight corners and what seemed like hundreds of attacks and lots of shouting from the rest of the team, but in the end there was a clear winner.

"The winner is Jay Bird!" Robin announced excitedly, high fiving his little brother who grinned smugly at Wally.

"Yes!"

"Go Jay Bird!"

"Better luck next time Wally."

"I am never betting on Wally again."

Those that had placed their bets on the correct hero collected their prize, while those that had lost groaned in disappointment. The prize was Agent A's cookies which they were very happy to see Robin had brought with him. They'd had them several times and absolutely adored them. Having finally admitted defeat and calmed down Wally passed on the controller.

The group played several more games, taking turns at playing. No more bets were placed but there was plenty of competition and laughter. They even made their own kind of tournament, winners of games going on to play each other. To no one's surprise the final was Robin versus Jay Bird, with Robin winning by a narrow margin.

Eventually they got bored of video games and decided they wanted to do something else. Which brought about another argument on what they wanted to do; some of the group wanted to watch a movie (enjoying the opportunity to relax), others wanted to play truth or dare (which was pretty much just a chance to interrogate the Bats) and the rest wanted to go to the beach to enjoy the sunshine.

It was finally decided that they would play a game of hide 'n' seek, but with altered rules to try and prevent too much trouble. It was a chance for them to be active, do some team bonding and see Jay Bird's skills. Their new version of the game had two seekers and the hiders were placed into groups. Each group had to hide and then make their way to an agreed safe point (in this case the training room) without getting caught by the seekers.

Kaldur and Robin would be the seekers while the others all tried to hide. Wally, Conner and Jay Bird were one team, Zatanna and Raquel were another, and Artemis and M'gann made up the last group. They were given three minutes to hide while Kaldur and Robin waited in the entrance hall, and they had to hide for at least another five before trying to make their way unseen to the training room.

The groups set off while Kaldur and Robin waited, enjoying the chance for a quick catch up. The three minutes were quickly over and the pair set off, deciding to stay together for the moment. They moved methodically through the Mountain, finding Zatanna and Raquel almost immediately. The pair had been trying to hide in the souvenir room but had accidently knocked a few things over, the noise had drawn the attention of Kaldur and Robin who found them attempting to fix their mistake.

Grinning at the sheepish pair, they left them to clean up as they continued moving through the Mountain. They didn't find anyone for at least six minutes so they knew they had to be on the look out for people trying to make their way to the training room. Which is exactly how they found Artemis and M'gann. The pair had been trying to sneak from the lounge down the corridor to the training room but were caught in the brief seconds they were out in the open, just as Kaldur and Robin were inspecting the area.

That left the boys as the last group; Conner, Wally and Jay Bird. They had initially been hiding in the hanger but had decided to make the dash for the training room. hey had managed to sneak all the way to the kitchen before spotting Kaldur and Robin on patrol. There was no way around them without being spotted. Jay Bird had suggested they go through the vents, as it would prevent them from being seen, but Conner and Wally protested (claiming neither of them would fit). Their arguing had gotten a bit too loud and in their distracted state they didn't notice Kaldur and Robin come up behind them.

That left the seekers; Kaldur and Robin, as the winners. They group met back up in the training room anyway.

"That was fun!" Robin declared with a childish joy. He was absolutely enjoying being back in the Mountain.

"Yeah, because you won." Wally huffed, he was only mildly annoyed about his loss, mostly happy to be spending time as a team again. The team dissolved into chatter, comparing techniques and captures.

It was at that point Robin noticed the time, he wined before sighing. He'd didn't really want to leave but he knew they had to. "Sorry guys. Jay Bird and I have to go." He waved goodbye as he led Jay Bird back towards the entrance hall and the zeta-beams, the rest of the team trailing behind as they offered their own goodbyes. But all too soon the pair of Bats had disappeared into the zeta-beam back to their city, leaving the team alone again.

"What did you think of Jay Bird?" Kaldur asked the team as they made their way to the kitchen for a snack.

"I think he was a bit weird, but that could just be because we only just met him. I am glad and surprised, however, that he didn't make a Bat entrance like Batgirl did." Wally was quick to answer. The rest of the team offered their own opinions as they moved around the kitchen

And that was how the team met Jason who would later become the second Robin.

* * *

**In Gotham**

"So, did you like the team Jay?" Robin asked his little brother as they made their way out of the Bat Cave and through the grand father clock, back into the manor. They had removed their sunglasses as soon as they made their way back into the Bat Cave

"They sounded nice. It will be interesting working with them, but your friend Wally is weird." Jason replied shrugging, his hands hidden in the pocket of his hoodie.

"Wait until you meet Roy." Dick chuckled, strolling along the corridors of the manor.

"By the way. Why was Barbra allowed to make an awesome and mysterious entrance but I had to be boring?" Jason would forever refuse to admit that he pouted.

"You're too young." Dick patted his head before walking off.

"Wait what? You started when you were younger then me!" Jason ran after his laughing brother, still complaining.


	41. Mothers Through Bond Not Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right this chapter - 5 mother figures to Robin. (I've put the timings next to the people to give you a better idea of what's going on).  
> Hope you enjoy and thank you for reading!  
> Robyn

**1 - Catwoman (During Titan years)**

It was late at night, darkness already stretched across the city but Catwoman (more commonly known as Selina Kyle) had decided she couldn't be bothered to go out for once. Too exhausted from some previous troubles. She had been retrieving something from her bedroom before returning to the lounge when she heard a window slam open followed by a few whispered words.

Waiting a second she listened in, hoping to hear anything else that would give her a hint to her home invader's identity. When she heard nothing for several minutes she grabbed a whip (which she conveniently kept near her, but still out of sight, just in case. After all, it is Gotham you never know who is going to appear in the middle of the night or even day). She silently crept forward down the corridor back to the lounge where she heard quiet footsteps. They were too quiet for someone not trained in the art of covert operations or at least trained (so not an average thug/mugger), but too loud for a professional thief or mercenary.

Selina turned the corner into the lounge where she had estimated her guest was from the footsteps, whip at the ready. She was halted in her tracks when instead of a burglar she met the guilty face of a young boy she hadn't see in a few months.

It was Robin. The first one, not the newer kid Batman had suddenly shown up with. Despite what some idiots thought, the new Boy Wonder was definitely someone else. She would have recognised Dick anywhere. He smiled at her, looking a bit sheepish for breaking into her apartment.

"Hi Selina. Sorry about breaking in but. . . I kind of need some advice and thought you might be the best person to go to." Robin ran a hand through his ebony hair as he tried to explain sheepishly.

"First, where have you been? And why did you leave? I've not seen you in months! Then a new Robin shows up and Bats refuses to say anything." Selina questions narrowing her eyes at the boy, who had appeared in full costume. When she didn't get an answer immediately she let out a sigh and moved over to the main room of her penthouse apartment. Sitting down and patting the seat beside her, he joined her. Cats circled towards them, happily settling on their laps and next to them.

"Well, Bats and I were on a normal patrol when we got news that Joker had escaped Arkham yet again, so we went after him of course. It seemed like an ordinary battle where he fights back but we eventually defeat him with only small injuries, until I made a stupid move believing him to have almost been defeated and the Joker shot me. Nothing really particularly life threatening, but it scared Bats." Robin looked down with a painful expression as if he was reliving the events he described. "Batman took him down and gave him to the Commissioner before picking me up and returning to the Bat Cave. Agent A quickly took out the bullet and stitched me up. It wasn't the worse I've had, but it came at a bad timing. Things with the team had been stressed because of recent events and he was worried and over protective, sometimes he forgets I'm not a little kid anymore. . ." Robin trailed to a stop, expression conflicted.

"Continue please." Selina asked thoughtfully, she really needed the rest of the explanation, Bats had refused to explain what on earth had happened.

"He fired me. Told me he wanted me to stop being Robin, so I ran away. I left a note and ran away. I went to Jump City thinking I would go it alone but I ran into these other super powered teens and we formed a team." Robin smiled thinking of his new teammates.

"The Teen Titans." Selina and just about everyone else had heard of the new group of young superheroes. The most surprising thing about them was their lack of connection to the League, she'd heard rumours that Robin had shown up in Jump but hadn't been sure whether to believe them.

"Yeah, I'm the leader. I know I should have gone back and I was planning to but then I heard that I'd been replaced. I was hurt and angry, mostly at Bats but a little at the kid, I like Jay but I didn't expect him to replace me! Robin was my name and they had no right to steal something so personal! I haven't seen Batman since I ran away, I've talked a bit with Jay but I'm still upset." Robin looked close to tears at this point. He had been expecting Jason to take on a new name, not for him to become Robin. He'd replaced him as both a superhero and as Bruce's ward.

"There, there. Don't worry everything will be fine." She tried to comfort the upset teen who had leaned into her offered arms, a stray tear rolling down his face. Once he had calmed down a bit she continued. "What's the advice you are so desperate for that you broke into my apartment to receive anyway?"

"I think I'm in love." The former boy Wonder muttered, petting one of the purring cats.

"Really, who? Is it that magician girl - Zatanna?"

"No. . ." He spluttered trying to get a world in but Selina just continued offering suggestions.

"Or that Archer girl, Aramis? No, Artemis!"

"No, why would you think. . .?"

"Or maybe Barbara, you used to have a crush on her."

"No. . ."

"Or the speedster Wally, you two are certainly close."

"NO!"

"Now Robin I won't judge you, love is love no matter the gender or . . ."

"No, it's Kori. One of my new teammates - Starfire or Kori. She's an alien princess with orange skin. I don't know what I should do, I really like her and don't want to mess it up." Robin jumped in and managed to finally get a say in the conversation, he looked a bit lost near the end.

"Okay, so here is what you need to do . . ."

* * *

**2 - Black Canary (Young Justice - Season 1)**

A disgruntled Boy Wonder marched into the Cave only to find it empty of his teammates, the only current inhabitant was Black Canary. When she heard his arrival announced she had glanced up from the book she had been reading before swiftly going back to her book. The Cave was the only quiet place she had been able to find to complete the book she had been so desperate to finally read.

He marched into the lounge where she currently sat. He immediately went over to her and sat down on the couch next to her with a deep sigh, causing her to peer up from her book and raise an eyebrow at the boys expression.

"What happened?" She asked curious.

No answer.

"Was it patrol or school or . . ."

"I hate charity balls. No I take that back, I despise charity balls. If I have to deal with one more person being nice to me to get money from Bruce or whisper not so quietly behind my back I am going to go insane!" Robin threw his arms in the air in frustration.

"You know it comes with being the ward of a billionaire." Black Canary replied knowingly, watching the boy, having put a bookmark in the right page of her book knowing she wouldn't get to finish it quite yet.

"It's still torture."

"I'm not denying that, I deal with Oliver remember? I've had to go to a fair amount of charity balls as well."

"Why is dealing with billionaires so hard? I mean Bruce and Batman are like polar opposites. I think he tries too hard at being the billionaire just to annoy me sometimes."

"I agree. I think it is something to do with also being superheroes. They feel the need to over act so it seems like they are not connecting their identities together." Black Canary shrugged her book abandoned on her lap.

"Doesn't mean that I have to like dealing with him. He's fine when he's not in public but when he is, he is unbearable." Robin huffed.

"It's more than that, what else has happened?" Black Canary narrowed her eyes at the boy. This wasn't the normal frustration at his guardian's public persona.

"I guess. . . I wish he would spend more time with me. In between Wayne Enterprises and missions I never really see him unless we're on patrol." Robin sighed. "I know he's busy, however, and doesn't always have time for me, but I guess that's the price for living with a billionaire." With that Robin left the room without another word, a few minutes later Black Canary heard the Zeta-Beam announce his departure.

Black Canary made a pact to herself to talk to Bruce about spending more time with him but seeing as he was currently on a mission she decided she may as well carry on with her book for now.

About a week later she couldn't hide a smile at seeing Robin grinning happily after spending a whole day with Bruce, just the two of them and Alfred. Her duty was done.

* * *

**3 - Talia (Young Justice - Season 1)**

Young Justice was out on a small covert mission. They had been tasked with retrieving information on a small group of thugs trying to smuggle weapons to bigger organisations. Everything had been going surprisingly well but what they hadn't counted on - was it being a trap.

As soon as they arrived near the small clearing in which the meeting between the thugs and an unknown group was to take place, they were surrounded. Figures wearing dark masks appeared from various hiding places, encircling the team with weapons pointed towards them ready to fire at the correct order. They couldn't even twitch without the weapons getting pointed closer at them. Things weren't looking promising.

A new figure stepped forward from the shadows, clearly the leader from the way they moved and how the rest of their attackers looked at them awaiting orders. The leader had a sword at their side, hanging on a belt just ready to be put into use. They moved into sight of the whole team before removing their mask, revealing an attractive young woman with long wavy dark hair and blue eyes narrowed in inspection of the team.

The majority of the team were clueless to the identity of their attacker and complexed by the reveal of her face. Robin on the other hand, knew exactly who stood in front of them and let out a quite groan knowing what was going to happen, and it was going to be embarrassing.

His teammates looked back at him, questioning through the mental link if he knew their attacker's identity. He was not given time to answer though, as the lady moved forward into the circle, moving until she was right in front of Robin.

"Robin! I expected better of you. You got a C in English and and a D in physical education! What are you thinking? I will not accept these results, you are grounded until you can get your marks back up to a B at least. I know your personal life and duties as Robin get in the way but you should still be able to deal with all your school work." The lady reprimanded the poor embarrassed hero while the rest of the team looked on, getting more confused by the second.

"But Talia-." Robin attempted to explain, glancing at the team.

"No buts, you're grounded. If you need any help with studying I am sure between myself, Batman and Agent A we can provide sufficient help." Talia, apparently, stayed firm in her decision.

"Yes Talia. Now would you mind letting us go? I assume the mission was a set up and our source was fake." Robin gave in, he really didn't want to be grounded but it wasn't like he could argue.

"Of course. I will see you later Robin. You may want to sort out your lack of covert skills for a supposed covert team!" With those final words she disappeared along with all the other figures, leaving no trace they were ever there.

The team exploded with questions at once. Who was that? How did she now him? Why was she telling him off for his marks in school? A D in Physical education really?

"That was Talia al Ghul. She's the daughter of Ra's al Ghul, leader of the League of Assassins. She's also currently having a thing with Batman so I get to see her quite a bit. Come on, we better get back to the Cave." Robin turned around and headed back to the Bio-Ship before anyone could ask anymore questions. He knew they weren't finished questioning him and he would regret everything later but he was currently too embarrassed to say anything else.

* * *

**4 - Wonder Woman (Young Justice - Season 1)**

It was fairly unusual for anyone apart from the team and their mentors, plus Black Canary, to be in the Cave. So the surprise visit from Wonder Woman truly was a surprise. While not as rare as sight as many other Leaguers she wasn't exactly a common sight, the majority of the team had barely even met her properly.

It may have been fate or destiny, but it was more than likely that it was just luck that Wonder Woman was in the Cave at the time she was. The team were away doing various stuff, so not many of them were actually in the Mountain. She had actually come to see Black Canary, who as far as she could see was not here (despite what Green Arrow had claimed).

She had been about to give up on her search for Black Canary and leave the Mountain, but was stopped by the Zeta-Beam announcing Robin's arrival. Deciding she had some time still and that she hadn't seen Robin properly in a while she went to investigate. She moved through the corridors back towards the entrance hall when she heard running feet move towards the living quarters.

Worried that something was wrong she picked up her pace and went after the young boy. When she reached his room the door was locked, she could hear someone sniffling as if they were trying to stop themselves from crying from inside. She knocked gently.

"Robin? Can you open the door for me please?" Wonder Woman asked kindly knowing that Robin would recognise her voice.

She waited a few seconds before the tell tale sound of footsteps and a lock unlocking could be heard. When the door didn't open she carefully pushed it open, moving into the room. The sight that met her was Robin sitting, head on his knees and tucked up on his bed in the centre of the room.

He wore civilian clothes and his signature sunglasses, that she knew he wore around the team sat on the bedside table to the side, abandoned. The blue eyes looked up with tears threatening to join the others that had already made their way down his cheeks leaving red marks. Diana moved over to join him on the bed, sitting beside him and reaching an arm around his shoulder, pulling him against her side in a semi-hug.

"What happened? Did someone hurt you?"

Dick looked up only to burry his face into her shoulder for a few minutes, calming himself down before pulling back and finally answering. "It's nothing. It's really stupid."

"It's clearly not nothing if you're this upset, and nothing that upsets you this much is stupid." Diana's mind was racing with the possibilities of what could have happened. Trying to figure out where he had been today that would have left him like this.

"Some boys were calling me names and and and smiling and shouting at me to annoy me and and the girls were laughing at me and pretending to ask me out because they know no one would truly want to go out with me. Usually I could deal with it but today was just a bad day and . . ." He manage to stutter out, trying to put into words what had happened. When Diana didn't say anything he continued. "I told you it was stupid."

"It's not stupid, while it may seem smaller and unimportant compared to other things, that's still bullying and you should tell someone especially if it is happening regularly. It's hurting you and sometimes the smallest things can hurt the worst." Diana announced, holding him tightly.

"I'm a superhero though, I've dealt with villains who want to destroy the world! This is nothing. I feel weak and stupid because of it." Dick admitted, eye staring a hole into the floor.

"You're still a kid and you are used to villains. Plus you can actually fight them, but you can't fight these kids. You shouldn't feel weak as you are anything but and you are definitely not stupid." Diana pulled him into a tight hug.

"Thanks Diana."

"You're very welcome, sweetheart."

If a few days later it was discovered some of the kids at Gotham Academy were part of gangs and doing less than legal activities, and ultimately kicked out of Gotham Academy, it was just a coincidence that they were Dick's tormentors I assure you.

* * *

**5 - Mary Grayson (Young Justice - Season 1)**

The three boys stood in black suits in front of a little gravestone in the middle of a quiet graveyard. The smallest boy leant down to put a beautiful bouquet of white lilies on the grave, before kneeling down to talk to the grave.

"Hi mami. I know it has been a little while since I've visited but happy birthday. I got you some lilies, I know they are your favourite flower. Wally and Roy are here with me, remember I've told you about them before?" Dick Grayson was trying hard not to let tears fall. Roy and Wally kneeled down in front of the grave on either side of him to offer support. They took a hand each, squeezing to comfort the boy they considered a little brother.

"Everything has been a bit hectic lately between school and the team. I won another math competition and the team had completed more missions. Nothing too dangerous besides I have my brothers here to protect me. I hope you and tati and uncle Rick, aunt Karla and John are all happy together in heaven. If it's okay with you I have found some new family but it doesn't mean I will ever forget you." He smiled at Roy and Wally. "You may be gone but I have people who look after me and love me as much as you did. As tati used to say 'family through bond and choice is just as important if not more important than blood'. I love you and everyone else and I always will. Bye for now mami."

Dick, Wally and Roy walked out the cemetery together. Dick may have lost his blood family but he had found a new one that loved him just as much.


	42. Hacking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter - Hacking. The first part occurs when Robin is about eleven (so before the team forms) and the second is just before the invasion starts (so about the last year of the gap).  
> (Yes I know both Robin and Batgirl are brilliant hackers - but this is my universe and if it makes you feel better just think of it as Nightwing having more practised - they are still learning).  
> Anyway, thanks for reading and hope you enjoy!  
> Robyn

**The Watch Tower - Two years before Season 1**

When the lights at the Justice League's super secret (yeah, right) headquarters, more commonly known as the Watchtower started to flicker you would think all the heroes remained perfectly calm and didn't panic, right?

You would be wrong. Flash started panicking, narrowly avoided running into walls dashing around the Watchtower until he found Superman, Green Arrow, Aquaman and Black Canary sitting in the dining hall, completely calm. When Flash entered, and failed to stop before hitting a table (making him flip dramatically over it), the heroes jumped up from their seat to see what had their teammate in such a panic. Flash leapt back to his feet, wiping off invisible dust and pretending he hadn't just fallen over the table. He immediately started rambling, unfortunately it was so fast no one could actually understood what he was saying.

"Flash, calm down! What's wrong?" Superman tried to calm the other hero down, bewildered by the sudden panic from the speedster.

"The lights! They're flickering!" Flash finally spat out, looking at them like they should understand why he was panicking about that.

"What's the big deal with the lights? Flash, you haven't been watching Supernatural again have you? You know it scares you." Black Canary stepped forward her arms crossed.

"It does not! Beside that show is awesome!" Flash denied. "But that's beside the point. The lights are flickering everywhere (apart from here), but it's not just them. I went to the Monitor room to check everything there and the screens were messed up! I think we are under attack!"

"What! Why hasn't anyone informed us of this?" Aquaman asked, eyes scanning the rest of the room in search of invisible attackers.

"It just started. And we're the only ones in the Watchtower. Everyone else is either away on a mission or busy elsewhere. Even Batman is away." Flash stated before running off again, not wanting to waste more time trying to explain when they could be under attack.

The remaining heroes looked at each other before running down the corridors after Flash. They headed towards the Monitor room first, when they reached the room they were faced with screens of blurry static. As the last person entered the door, it slammed shut causing everyone to jump. Green Arrow turned around and tried to pull the door open in a fruitless attempt - it was very locked.

"Well, it looks like we're trapped. Just great." Green Arrow declared before turning back around to face the rest of the League who were starting to look more and more worried. They were facing an unknown assailant who knew where their headquarters was and had managed to get into their systems. They were all running through the (small) list of people that it could be.

A sudden crackling sound echoed through the speakers (which were all across the Watch Tower), gaining the attention of the trapped heroes. The crackly static turned into a deep, gravelly voice as it started talking through the speakers.

"I see you have fallen into my trap. Mwhahahhahahhaha. For the supposed superheroes that you are, your security is incredibly easy to hack. It only took me a few minutes. Mwhahahahhah. Now that I have you trapped, with no way out, what should I make you do?" The voice laughed, contemplating his options.

"Be nice and release us?" Flash asked hopefully. It was never that easy but he was allowed to be hopeful.

"I don't think so Bartholomew." The voice stated, unnerving the heroes.

"How do you know his name? Who are you? What do you want?" Black Canary asked, trying to gain any information she could from this mysterious invader.

"Oh I know all your names: Dinah, Oliver, Clark and Orin. As for who I am? Well that will be part of the challenge. And for what I want? I want to play a game. Find me and you will get your answers." The voice cut out suddenly and the speakers died.

The door swung open after an audible click of the lock being released, freeing them. The heroes crept out cautiously on high alert, expecting to find the villain outside, after all he had to have unlocked the door. The hallway was empty with no sign of anyone ever being there. They started moving down the corridor, inspecting every room along it only to find nothing.

"Superman, use your super hearing. He's got to be around here somewhere." Flash demanded upon seeing the empty space, this was getting creepy.

Superman stopped moving forward and listened carefully, listening for anything that could be used to detect the villain's presence. Then he heard it; a faint clank as if something was crawling along metal. Breaths and mutters were also heard but he was to far away to hear what was actually being muttered.

"He's in the vents, moving towards the private quarters. If he gets there who knows what information he will find. How did he even get into the Watchtower?" Superman declared and then turned to face his fellow Leaguers.

"How are we supposed to know anymore than you do? I assume he hacked the teleportation system. Besides we can figure this out later and up the security, we need to stop him!" Black Canary shouted before running off towards the private quarters.

The others shrugged before running off after her. They dashed down the corridors until they stood in front of the first room; Superman's. The group looked at said hero who stepped forward and unlocked the room with the special code. He opened the door only to find it undisturbed and in its normal condition. He shrugged and looked at the others before they moved onto the next room.

The tried every room they could access (some with a special override code as the person wasn't there) until they were faced with only one more room. Batman's.

"Are you sure he went this way? I mean he could have moved on and I think the batmightjustkillusif..." In his panic, Flash's words started merging together again. That was until Black Canary hit him on the head and told him to calm down.

"It is the only room left. We must check it before inspecting other places my friend. Besides the Bat will never know." Aquaman stepped forward ignoring the quiet 'he will' from worried Speedster. He entered the emergency override code and slowly pushed open the door to reveal a dark room, decorated with a city sky line all around the walls.

The bed in the centre was covered, ironically, in Batman sheets, and upon it sat a familiar young boy with a holographic computer screen in front of him. The screen glowed a light blue and came out of a hidden device on his glove. The boy on the bed was well known to these heroes.. although they had no clue how he was here

"Robin! What are you doing here? Have you seen a villain by the way?" Flash asked sprinting the few steps to the bed to bounce in front of the young boy.

"Batman's away, but he thought I should test this new computer system. Seeing as it was a weekend I thought I would try it up here. As for the villain? You're looking right at him. I wanted to practise my hacking skills and your security is really weak but I've already hacked the Bat Computer a thousand times so I wanted something else." Robin grinned at the shocked heroes.

"Wait that was all you?" Superman asked.

"Yep!"

"Hey Robin, how would you like to upgrade our security. . ."

* * *

**Mt. Justice - Year 5 of Gap/Pre-Invasion**

The team rarely got down time anymore, so on the rare occasion they did, they usually celebrated it by relaxing together in the lounge. It was on one of these such occasions that the team discovered Nightwing's old hobby. You see everyone was sitting around watching Doctor Who when Batgirl gave a frustrated growl. The team all turned to face her, confused by the sudden noise. She was sitting on the floor, cross legged with a laptop on her lap rapidly typing and deleting lines of random words and numbers. As the screen flashed red she threw her hands up in the air, giving another growl of frustration.

"Hey Batgirl. What are you doing?" Beast Boy asked from his position on the couch, he was leaning forward to inspect what his teammate was doing.

"I'm trying to hack the Bat Computer. Batman's been hiding something and I want to know what. The security is annoyingly strong though and I can't get through." Batgirl replied frustration clear in her voice. The others were curious about what she wanted to know and vaguely impressed by the fact she was hacking her mentor's systems.

"Give it me, I'll try." Robin shrugged, he had no idea what Batgirl wanted to know but he figured he could have a go trying to get into Batman's systems.

Batgirl passed the computer to Wonder Girl who passed it to Mal who passed it to Artemis who gave it to Robin on the other side of the room. The rest of the team watched now interested in what the Bats were up to.

A laugh came from the kitchen where Miss Martian and Nightwing were making cookies for the team. The laugh was all too familiar to the original team but sadly rarely heard by the newer team members - Nightwing's laugh. The pair were the only ones not actually in the lounge at the moment and had been mostly silent up until this point.

"What are you laughing at Bird Boy?" Batgirl shouted at him, gaining the attention of everyone, apart from Robin who was frowning puzzled down at the laptop.

"Hacking was never really your speciality any way, Batgirl, don't worry." Nightwing reassured Batgirl as he came out of the kitchen alongside Miss Martian. Little parcels of freshly baked cookies in their hands. He started passing them out to the group as he continued. "If you really want to know what I'm laughing about - I'm remembering an accident with the Justice League when I was eleven that was to do with hacking." He settled on a spare armchair in the corner as Miss Martina moved over close to Artemis. He ignored Batgirl's grumbles.

"You knew the Justice League when you were eleven? I mean I know you worked with Batman since you were young but. . ." Blue Beetle trailed off as he started nibbling one of the warm cookies he had been given.

"Yeah, I've known most of them since I was about six or seven. Met the original members a few months after I became Robin I think. I used to get into so much mischief. They were my family." Nightwing looked like he was caught in memories of a happier time, but before anyone could ask him anymore questions Robin mimicked Batgirl earlier by throwing his hands in the air and giving out a frustrated growl.

"Not having any luck Robin?" Aqualad asked the youngest Bat kindly. He had been watching the exchange calmly as he ate his cookies, M'gann had certainly improved her baking skills from when they first met.

"No, whoever designed this security is amazing. It's almost impossible to hack it!" Robin cried dramatically. Admittedly, he was still working on his hacking skills but still he knew impressive security layers when he saw them.

"I thought you Bats were the best, especially Robin with hacking." Wonder Girl stated, teasing the pair as she devoured the cookies.

"Hey Rob, pass it to me." Nightwing said as he abandoned his armchair in favour of moving over closer to Robin. He sat on the arm of the chair next to Robin and pulled the laptop onto his lap. He started typing away rapidly, fingers flying across the keyboard.

"I'm sorry Nightwing, you're a talented hero but if Robin can't get it how will you be able to?" Lagoon Boy asked. Nightwing didn't look up from the screen, just smirked.

"Done!" Nightwing declared a moment later. Holding up the laptop to show the team that he had gotten in.

"How?" Robin asked looking shocked, grabbing the laptop and checking that he was telling the truth.

"You guys realise he was our hacker when we went on missions, right?" Artemis laughed, knowing full well most of the newer heroes did not in fact know that.

"Yeah. Nightwing's hacking skills was how we started the team. He hacked the Justice League which lead to Aqualad, him and I finding Superboy and then forming the team after we argued with the League." Kid Flash added, grinning. Those days felt like so long ago and he kind of missed it at times.

"We didn't know that." Bumblebee stated, blinking. The rest of the team looked equally shocked and surprised, the older members of the team rarely discussed the old days.

"Well we don't really talk much about our early years." Superboy sighed looking at his fellow teammates and friends sadly. They had really drifted apart recently, all so busy with other things and the newer members of the team.

"Besides, I was the one who created the security for the Justice League and Bat Computer. Bats got tired of me complaining it was too easy to hack into and told me to fix it. I also trapped and messed around with Green Arrow, Black Canary, Flash and Superman so they got me to fix they're security as well. You guys still have lots to learn." Nightwing declared before strolling out of the lounge.

He left in his wake a group of shocked faces who promised themselves they wouldn't underestimate Nightwing as much. A smaller group of proud grins sat upon the original teams faces. Their little brother was still the best.


	43. Night of Fright

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter - another Halloween special, this time it is set just before season 2 (so everyone is there bar Impulse).  
> Basically the original team decide to mess with the newer members.  
> Hope you enjoy and thank you for reading!  
> Robyn

It started with the original team. They had all met up for some reason or other when Nightwing had proposed the idea. They should celebrate Halloween to help the newer members feel a bit better (lately it seemed every mission they went on went wrong, which was a familiar feeling for the original members of the team - they had never really cracked the secret of being a covert team). The rest of the group agreed and plans were formed, by the time the group separated to return home they all had evil smirks on their faces. This would be a Halloween the team wouldn't forget.

On Halloween at around seven in the evening, the original team was ready, everything had been set up. No one apart from them were in the cave and it was time. They gave the signal and Nightwing made calls to all newer members saying there was an emergency and they were needed at the Mountain. Before breaking up and shutting off the call, he rushed into position waiting for the action to start.

The first person to arrive was Mal, swiftly followed by Bumblebee. They were greeted with the sight of no one and nothing in the entrance hall apart from some pathetic half-hearted Halloween decorations and. . . something else. How they hadn't noticed straight away escaped them, as the team had purposely made it giant and obvious for anyone entering the Mountain.

Blue Beetle, La'gaan and Beast Boy arrived soon after catching sight of what Mal and Bumblebee were now staring at almost instantly. Robin, Batgirl and Wonder Girl arrived last and joined the group staring. On the wall was a message, written in a suspiciously familiar shade of red.

"If you ever want to see your friends again than follow the trail and survive the scares. Welcome to the night of fright." A little pumpkin with a scary face had been painted onto the wall at the end of the message. It was a fairly cliché but threatening message, something you would expect at any Haunted House, but being superheroes they immediately took the threat seriously.

"Why are you guys just staring? We need to help the other! Who knows what kind of crazy villain has found the Mountain." Wonder Girl declared before walking closer to the message, inspecting it for any hidden layers or secrets.

"You're right. What is the trail we're supposed to follow anyway?" Blue Beetle agreed, looking around the room for any clues.

"Look! There is another pumpkin. I bet we have to follow them!" Beast Boy pointed out as he gestured to another pumpkin on the door leading into the main part of the Mountain. With Batgirl in the lead, all weapons at the ready, the group moved forward ready to face this new villain and rescue their captured teammates.

The main part of the Mountain seemed to have had a complete transformation. It was covered in realistic decorations and looked nothing like a mountain. . . more like a haunted house. The team crept forward into the first room which was usually the souvenir room but tonight it looked like a forest. The team had to give credit to whatever villain this was, it looked amazing.

The walls had been painted with trees, extra realistic fake trees had been added into the room and a temporary wall had been placed in front of the souvenirs. The floor had been covered in Astroturf (fake grass) and the ceiling painted to reflect the night sky with the full moon on clear view, even glowing faintly.

"Well, well, well. You made it to the first room. Now you must survive the thing inside, collect the pumpkin and move on." A creepy unfamiliar voice cackled down from the speakers.

"Who are you? Where are our friends?" Bumblebee called out spinning around to face one of the speakers as if that would let her see the person the voice belonged too.

"I suppose you may call me the Cheshire Cat and for your friends. . . Well, they're waiting for you to find them. Mwhahahahahaha!" With a terrifying cackle the speaker cut out. A second later a spine shivering howl was heard.

"Emmm. . . anyone know what that was?" Mal asked looking like he really didn't want to know the answer, but knew they were likely to find out anyway.

"We're in a forest at night. There's a full moon and it is Halloween - we just heard a howl. I'm pretty sure it is safe to assume that was a werewolf." Batgirl pointed out with a grimace. "I think that is what this 'Cheshire Cat' wants us to face."

Sure enough out of the trees appeared a creature. They looked like they were only half way transformed. It was still humanoid in shape but had fur everywhere, fangs glinted in the light and its eyes were a eerie bloodshot red. Attached to a half ripped checked shirt was a painted pumpkin which looked like it was just a paper pumpkin that had been laminated. It looked very out of place amongst the realistic decorations and monsters.

The werewolf leapt forward at the team, only to be hit back hard by Robin's bo staff. Beast Boy jumped forward and grabbed the pumpkin as the werewolf retreated into the forest, nursing its head. The team gathered around Beast Boy to look at the pumpkin, one or two of them keeping a careful eye out in case the werewolf acme back. On the back was a clue to where they assumed they had to go next. It said 'a home to knowledge where stories live'.

"That has to be the library!" Wonder Girl pointed out. The group nodded and carried on towards the library. Remaining high on alert now that they knew there were monsters lurking.

When they arrived it was to only to discover the library had been completely transformed as well. It looked more like a medieval castle than a library. Massive doors stood in their way, which hadn't been there yesterday. The team stopped and looked at the door, about to try and open it but before they could do anything the now annoyingly familiar voice came out of the speakers.

"I see you beat the wolf. Well good luck with your next challenge. She's not so nice." The Cheshire Cat cackled as the speakers cut out as suddenly as they went came into action.

"Enter." A distinctive female voice echoed from within the castle as the doors opened to reveal a hallway with a red carpet leading up to a golden throne.

On the throne sat a figure, which they presumed was the source of the female voice. She was dressed up, a cloak covering her with the collar turned up. She had soulless eyes and large fangs. She was a vampire. A blond vampire. The team inspected her and the surroundings, noticing the next pumpkin hanging behind her.

"I thought Dracula was a guy?" Blue Beetle whispered to the rest of the team.

"I heard that. I'm not Dracula." The female vampire snapped. Well, there goes any chance of diplomacy

She leapt gracefully down from the throne and charged at the team. As she attacked and the rest of the team carried out defensive manoeuvres, Bumblebee shrunk and flew to the throne before growing back to normal size, standing on the throne to grab the next pumpkin. Almost instantly the vampire froze. She turned to face Bumblebee who had returned to the team, prize in hand, victorious.

"I see you have the pumpkin. Well I wish you luck for the next challenges. You are getting closer to your friends and a surprise." The vampire stated.

"What do you mean surprise?" La'gaan asked. However it was too late. Smoke filled the room and by the time it cleared the vampire was gone, leaving them in an empty room. They moved back out of the library, scanning the corridor for threats before looking at the next clue.

The team looked at the pumpkin, this time the clue said 'You come here before leaving as a team'.

"Leaving as a team? The mission room!" Robin announced. "I wonder what will be waiting for us there."

"Who knows hermano, who knows." Blue Beetle shook his head before the group wandered back off down the corridor to the mission room, keeping an eye out for threats. They didn't like the sound of the 'surprise' the vampire had mentioned.

The mission room looked nothing like it was supposed to, following the trend of the previous rooms. It was covered in sand and decorated to look like the insides of a pyramid. All sorts of artefacts and jars covered the room and hieroglyphics were painted onto some of the walls. In the centre of the room stood a sarcophagus.

"I think I can guess what is going to happen." Mal groaned. He was really starting to hate whoever this 'Cheshire Cat' was.

As soon as that thought had been voiced smoke started pouring out of the sarcophagus and the door groaned open. Inside lay a mummy. As expected. It was covered in sandy bandages, full of rips and faint bits of blood. Its eyes remained permanently open but were empty of anything but blackness. The pumpkin was attached to the inside of the door and so far the mummy wasn't moving. The team shared a glance, almost daring someone to have a go.

Batgirl darted forward, tired of just standing around, hoping to reach it before the mummy moved. Just as she was about to pull the pumpkin off a hand grabbed her wrist causing her to give out a little shriek as she jumped. The mummy had moved and was now blocking her exit. She was trapped.

Then the mummy groaned and fell, Blue Beetle had hit him from behind and pushed him away from her. Batgirl grabbed the pumpkin and retreated not wanting the mummy to get up again. However it looked like the mummy had become inanimate, as it lay unmoving on the sandy ground.

"Can we leave the room before reading the clue? He's kind of creepy." Batgirl asked and was answered by the hurried nods of her teammates as they made a swift exit out of the room, being careful to close the door securely behind them.

She turned the pumpkin over to reveal the next clue: 'where you prepare for the real world and meet the ground'.

"The training room!" La'gaan shouted, figuring it out first. The team marched slowly to the training room. They were getting tired of these games, they had all just wanted to enjoy Halloween, not be playing games with a villain who had captured their friends and teammates. As they made their way once again down the corridor the familiar crackle of the speakers echoed in the silence.

"Soon. Everything will reveal itself soon. Mwhahahahahah!" The Cheshire Cat cackled softly, before the speakers promptly cut off again.

"Well, that's totally not creepy!" Beast Boy announced glaring at the speakers as if that would do something, like stop these stupid games.

The team entered the training room cautiously. Well, what had been the training room. There was AstroTurf covering the ground and gravestones littered the place. The walls had been painted to look like trees and a spiky metal fence. The ceiling was painted like the night sky with fake stars glittering down at them. They were in a graveyard.

"Hey, there's the pumpkin! Now where's the next monster thing." Wonder Girl declared pointing at the pumpkin attached to a grave a few meters away. She couldn't see nay immediate threat though and it was making her nervous.

She had jinxed them, as soon as she finished speaking a ghostly figure seemed to rise out of the grave that held the pumpkin. The figure turned solid revealing a ghostly girl with dark eyes, blood in her dark hair, and a ripped and bloody dirty white wedding dress. A ghostly bride.

"Sooooo. Who wants to get the pumpkin?" Beast Boy asked facing the rest of the team. Personally he really didn't want to go near the ghost, it was quite high on the scale of scary things they had seen tonight.

"Not me!" Rang out from the group apart from a single voice who was to slow.

"Darn it!" La'gaan groaned.

The ghost seemed amused by this display as she gave a small smirk, which didn't do anything to make her look nicer. La'gaan moved forward slowly keeping the ghost in sight at all times (sometimes he hated his job). As he got closer, she disappeared only to appear behind him and push him into a ditch in front of the grave that she had been hiding. They hadn't noticed the ditch before hand, and La'gaan spluttered as his face met dirt. The rest of the team dashed forward to help, the ghost was scary but they couldn't exactly leave La'gaan in a ditch (no mater how much some of them wanted to). Every time they were about to land a blow she would vanish only to reappear somewhere else a few seconds later.

As the rest were distracted fighting the ghost, Mal helped La'gaan out of the ditch and grabbed the pumpkin. The instant he touched it she gave a spine shivering scream and vanished for the last time. They quickly left the room, La'gaan grumbling the whole time as he tied to wipe away all the dirt.

This time the clue led towards their living quarters, which was worrying (what if this 'Cheshire Cat' had been in their rooms?). There they found the place covered in a giant sticky web and facing an enormous hairy black spider. Let's just say more than a few of the group got stuck in the web, freaking out multiple people who were scared of spiders. Plus, the webs were not easy to get out of.

The next clue led them to the kitchen which was covered in blood and had knives everywhere, it looked like a murder scene (the team was really hoping all the blood was fake). The group was faced with a giant eyeball that rolled towards them at startling speeds, they all admitted it was rather creepy.

The clue after that led them to the showers. When they arrived they were faced with the sight off all the showers running and all the drains blocked up, trapping the water and creating a knee deep puddle in the room. They were met with another ghostly figure this time it was a young man that had clearly been drowned (after why else would all the water be there - and he was more of a blue/green than the white the other ghost had been). It was a bit more difficult getting the pumpkin off of him, with all the water making moving harder than normal.

The final clue took them to the hanger room. The group slowly trudged there, feeling a bit more miserable after getting wet. It was the icing on top of the cake and at this point they just wanted to go to bed but they still had to face the villain and rescue their teammates. On the way down to the hanger room, they passed the Grotto which had remained the same as usual. Another ghost was there a young girl that was almost familiar in a way. The team did not have to worry about her as the girl did not interfere only watched them pass, vanishing when they got too close. She looked different to the other ghosts they had seen, more peaceful almost., and the whole room had turned freezing when she appeared. They moved on quickly.

Eventually they made their way to the hangar room. They opened the door, expecting trouble, to instead almost get blasted off their feet by a deafening 'SURPRISE!' from the creatures they had faced and various members of the Justice League. The room was decorated in a more traditional Halloween style, lots of clearly fake decorations and a table full of treats stood to one side. It was a party.

"Please say I'm not the only one that is still confused." Blue Beetle announced, turning to his teammates who nodded in agreement only to be met with laughter from the rest of the room.

The group of creatures stepped forward with an unfamiliar figure dressed up in purple, a familiar mask on his face - here was their 'Cheshire Cat'. The figures all removed matching necklaces, revealing faker costumes and familiar figures wearing them - the original team. The 'Cheshire Cat' explained, grinning wildly.

"It was simple. We got together and decided you all needed a break so we put this plan together. We decorated the Mountain, told the League what we are planning and got into costume. I faked a distress call and then got into position, waiting for you all to arrive. I was the Cheshire cat. Kid Flash was the werewolf, Artemis the vampire, Superboy the mummy, Miss Martian the ghostly bride, Wolf the spider, Sphere the eyeball, and Aqualad the drowned ghost. This is a Halloween party, have fun. We certainly did watching you guys." The Cheshire Cat, now revealed to be Nightwing explained. The rest of the original team had matching grins on their face, it had certainly been entertaining watching the younger heroes go about the Mountain.

"May we ask about the costumes?" Bumblebee asked, the rest of the information really hadn't sunk in yet but she was curious how their costumes had worked. They certainly seemed very fake now, but they hadn't before.

"Of course. During our first year as a team this is what we dressed up as, except from Nightwing and Aqualad, as they were busy and Sphere and Wolf as they didn't take part, with a bit of magic from Zatanna and some make up we made ourselves look better. It was a trip down memory lane for us as well." Artemis explained, still grinning, she held her necklace up as the source of the magic.

"How did you manage to travel around the cave so fast without us seeing you?" La'gaan asked.

"A mixture of air vents and secret tunnels which we may tell you about some day." Aqualad answered the whole original team smirking alongside him.

"Okay, you said this was a party right? Then let's get it started!" Beast Boy shouted and moved away from the group as music started. It had been a long night and frankly he just wanted candy. That seemed to be all the rest of the team needed as they split up, mingling with the Justice League members, who all wore costumes as well.

Robin and Batgirl however stayed behind as the rest of the group dispersed. They had one more question for the original team.

"You mentioned everyone, but what about the last ghost in the Grotto?" Robin questioned curious, looking mostly at Nightwing.

"What do you mean last ghost? There was no last ghost? We didn't touch the Grotto" Kid Flash asked looking at his team for confirmation.

"Yeah there was. She watched us for a while before disappearing." Batgirl defended Robin, they had absolutely seen a ghost. When the original team didn't answer, they wandered off into the party, clearly they were still messing with them.

The original team looked at each other. There really had been no other ghost. The thought that maybe the younger heroes were just getting their own back for the whole night was prominent and they joined the others at the party. Aqualad and Nightwing stayed back another minute, they had an odd feeling about the supposed ghost, they shivered inn sync at the sudden cold wind that moved through the room, unnoticed by everyone else. They shared a last glance before joining the rest of the heroes, but they couldn't shake that odd feeling for the rest of the night.

Back in the Grotto, the young ghostly girl leaned against her holographic figure listening to the music in the other room and smiled, happy for her friends.


	44. Party Time! (and mistaken identities)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter - the team enjoys a break after the events of season 2 and we see how Kaldur found out Robin's identity.  
> The first part is set just after season 2 - near the holidays (Wally doesn't die - fight me) and the flashback is set sometime after season 1.  
> Definitely a more angst-y chapter (and for those that enjoy it more is absolutely coming, one word - Renegade)  
> Thanks for reading and enjoy!  
> Robyn

It had been an incredibly stressful year in Nightwing's mind, between his friends going undercover into enemy lines, training a team, looking after family (especially with his siblings), running Wayne Enterprises, going to college, being Batman and being Nightwing. Yeah, a stressful year was putting it lightly. However, it was finally almost over. The League were back on Earth, Kaldur and Artemis had returned mostly unharmed from undercover work and even Wally had thankfully escaped the speed force.

The team were recovering from the invasion and the Mountain was being rebuilt. It is a slow process, due it being blown into billions of pieces. However, everyone was happy to help as almost everyone, including the League had happy memories of the Mountain. It had been their home for so long. At the minute the team was staying at the Watch Tower with the League, but Nightwing was still (secretly) converting the warehouse into a liveable, comfortable base/safe house just in case of accidents or emergencies. It also meant he had a safe place to go himself and for any others he was training.

The League and team wanted to relax and de-stress after the year they had had. So, they had decided with it being the holidays and after everything earlier in the year they needed to have a bit of fun, and what better way to celebrate than a party. The party was in truth a mixture of a welcome home party for the Leaguers, Artemis, Kaldur and Wally as well as a holiday celebration and a congratulation to the team for coping so well under all the pressure.

The party was in full swing at the Watch Tower. Music was blaring, talk echoed everywhere, drinks were being shared, some people were dancing and others were enjoying the food. The Watch Tower had been heavily decorated with a mixture of Christmas decorations and normal decorations for those who do and do not celebrate Christmas. There was a Christmas tree in one corner, tinsel hanging on the walls and fairy lights everywhere. Alongside them were party streamers and banners. Leaguers and the team members mixed. In one corner Impulse was talking with Blue Beetle and Captain Marvel, in another Zatanna stood with Rocket and Bumblebee.

Nightwing however had left the main room silently in favour of a small, quiet room for a breather. It had large windows looking down upon Earth and was painted a light grey, the room was actually meant for storage but it had somehow managed to remain empty for all the years the Tower had been working. They had just never needed it so it never really got used. Nevertheless it served his purpose of hiding. He'd discovered it years ago and kept it secret, as a place to retreat to for some time on his own.

He felt the need to hide because he still wasn't quite comfortable with everyone else. Although most of them had managed to forgive him, he still received a few angry stares. If he was being honest though, he hadn't really forgiven himself for putting his friends in danger like he had. He had never wanted to be like Batman, sacrificing everything for a mission, but this year had put him almost exactly in that position.

He was so lost in thought that he didn't hear the approaching footsteps or opening of the door. He was only broken out of his spiralling thoughts by the cries of his former best friend (he wasn't sure where they stood at the minute).

"I told you he'd be out here." Nightwing didn't need to see him to tell there was a giant smirk upon his friend's face. He tensed slightly, cautious of how this conversation may go. He kept his eyes on the Earth below.

"We never denied your theory my friend." The more sensible, calm voice was easily recognisable. As was the snort from the third person in the room.

He finally turned around to face the people interrupting his peace. Wally, Artemis and Kaldur. Three of the people he considered family but also three of the people he had hurt the most over the last year. One he made a traitor, another he killed and the third suffered the loss and almost died himself.

"Shouldn't you be out enjoying the party? It is partially for you three after all." Nightwing tried to reason, slightly cautious of why the three were there. He was on edge around everyone lately and he hated it but he couldn't do anything to calm himself.

"Is it a crime to want to enjoy some peace with a friend?" Artemis questioned, her arms crossed stubbornly. He raised an eyebrow in doubt, there was no way that was the only reason they were there. Then a thought occurred to him.

Nightwing's mouth twitched up into a smirk. "It won't be peaceful with him here." He nodded his head to the resident speedster, gaining a yelp of annoyance from said speedster and chuckles of agreement from the other two. So they were still on good enough terms for light jokes then, good to know.

Silence rained for a few minutes, all four heroes staring out at the world in front of them. It had been so long since things had been calm enough to just enjoy a moment of silence, usually crime or something even crazier would pop up and ruin it.

"This year's been crazy. An alien invasion, a speedster from the future, the Light, the League away on trial. Just everything." Predictably it was Wally who broke the silence first, still unable to deal with long periods of nothing (unless absolutely necessary), even after all these years.

"You were right 'Wing. Quiet and Wally never seem to appear together." Artemis stated with humour clear in her tone. Despite the teasing all four were glad of the familiar talk and situation, they could almost forget about everything that had happened between them since the team started falling apart. Almost.

"He does have a point though. It has been a long year and even longer since any of us have seen peace. When was the last time we all had a nice conversation with nothing to worry about?" Kaldur defended Wally after a moment of quiet.

All four heroes were deep in thought until Nightwing suddenly snorted. Before he quickly broke down into near giggles as he recalled something. The other three turned to look at him bewildered by the sudden change in mood.

"What?" The former archer turned to face her friend and teammate. The other two watched him as well. They were worried about him, he'd seemed to be spiralling into dark places and they seemed to have become more and more estranged with him since the team started expanding. No matter what happened though he was still their friend and younger brother figure. Despite what Nightwing might think, they didn't blame him for everything. They understood the situation and people always say things they regret in times of stress, it had just taken some time to calm down and actually think before they could come to that realisation.

"It was at a party like this four years ago that Kaldur finally discovered my identity." Nightwing answered drawing chuckles from the speedster and archer, and a sour look from the Atlantian. His discovery had been . . . interesting so to say. Plus they had never let him live it down.

* * *

**Four (ish) Years ago - The Watch Tower**

The original team were celebrating another successful year alongside the upcoming holidays. They were up in the Watch Tower with the rest of the Justice League, partying the night away. Music was blaring out of speakers, the main room was a mess (someone had fun decorating and had gone way too over the top), and everyone was enjoying themselves. Some people were dancing, others talking and if you looked carefully you would even see a smile on the famous Bat's face, but I never told you that, alright? Good.

In fact it was very similar to the party that would happen several years later, except it had a slightly different guest list and everyone was younger of course. Robin had pulled a move similar to the one at the future party (he didn't particularly like parties). He disappeared from the celebration and snuck into Batman's room in the Tower. He entered silently, accidentally leaving the door slightly ajar. As soon as he got there he put on some civilian clothing (without his glasses for once, assuming no one would enter the Bat's room) and pulled a chair against a bland wall.

You see Robin was supposed to be tutoring his best friend Barbara, affectionately nicknamed Babs but had been called to the party. Not wanting to miss a session due to an upcoming math test, they had agreed to skype each other. So that was exactly what they were doing. Robin had purposely left his background blank so she wouldn't be able to question anything suspicious. Everything was going well.

Unfortunately for Robin, Aqualad had noticed his absence and decided to try and find his youngest teammate. Aqualad strolled the corridors half looking for Robin and half exploring (it was rare they were actually in the Watch Tower and he was taking the opportunity he had ben provided). He went past the kitchen, the monitor room, both swimming pools (making a mental note to go back one day and try them out) and the meeting room. He was just coming to the living quarters corridor when he heard it. Muttered words. He hadn't ben expecting to find anyone else around, they were all at the party. He crept closer to the source, not noticing it was Batman's room, he peaked round the corner.

The room was plain, grey walls, a bed with black covers, a neat desk, a couple of chairs and a wardrobe. Nothing unusual, just nothing personal. He was shocked to see a normal civilian sitting on a chair speaking softly into a laptop on his lap, the boy was sitting on a chair with his back to the grey wall meaning the person he was talking to couldn't see anything but the wall. The few word he heard of the conversation did not reassure him of the civilian's intentions.

"Plan . . .formula . . .kill . . .-master . . .trouble." From the sound of it this boy had managed to get in and was probably working for some villain in an attempt to hurt them. It was the prefect time as well, with most of the League and team busy at the party, everyone was relaxed and not expecting an attack.

The angle Aqualad was at meant he couldn't really see any distinctive features of the civilian. If he had he may have made the connection between his missing teammate and the person in the room, but alas he did not. He immediately was on high alert, taking this unknown as a threat and preparing to do something about it. As soon as the boy seemed to finish talking to his unseen co-conspirator and put the laptop down, shifting in his seat, Aqualad leapt into action.

He rushed into the room and grabbed the boy from his position on the chair, surprising the civilian. He moved him into a position where the boy's back was against him, leaving him unable to see his face. The boy struggled for a short while before noticing who had him and stopped. Even more suspiciously the boy started chuckling. Clearly whoever this kid was he thought he was clever, well Aqualad would do something about that.

Keeping one careful eye on the boy he sent a message to the League that an intruder had gotten into the Watch Tower. The boy just kept chuckling, he narrowed his eyes at the kid, shifting so he could see part of his face. The kid was grinning which made him look slightly creepy in the dim light. For the first time Aqualad realised what room they were in - Batman's.

He half dragged the dark haired boy out of the Dark Night's room and into the open white corridor where they would be easier seen and, though he would never admit it, so that the Bat didn't find out that he had been in his room. Although it was more than likely he already knew. The better light also gave him a better view of his captured assailant and would allow him to see which direction he ran if he managed to escape.

While Aqualad was internally panicking and running through lists of possible attackers while trying to keep an eye on the kid, and all out not having a fun time, Robin was having a ball. He'd been surprised when he'd suddenly been grabbed but he'd figured out it was just Aqualad after a minute and managed to piece together what had happened. It was hilarious and frankly, he was going to use this to his advantage. He couldn't wait to see Kaldur's face, but a little fun first couldn't hurt, could it?

"You seem tense Aqualad. Worried about my evil plans? You should be, you know. None of you little heroes are going to live through the night. Mwhahahahahha!" The intruder cackled looking incredibly sinister in the light.

"What plans? What have you done?" Aqualad tried to convince the boy to tell his plans. Honestly the psychopaths kept getting younger these days. Who knows maybe they would be facing a toddler next, after all this boy couldn't be any older than fourteen. Then again, he was part of a group of teen heroes, so he couldn't really say much on the point of ages. He still couldn't see the whole of the teen's face as he held the kid, arms behind his back, facing away from him.

From Robin's point of view this was a win-win situation. He had been meaning to tell Kaldur his identity for a long time but had never really found the right time. He really should of, especially seeing as Kaldur had been his teammate and friend for years. It wasn't really fair that Artemis and Conner discovered it first, Kaldur had been his friend almost as long as he had known Wally and Roy after all. He'd been dropping hints for a while now but they just didn't seem to pick them up, clearly he needed to be more blunt about it.

This unfortunate situation meant he could have a bit of fun while also revealing his identity to Kaldur. He could have a lot of fun here, oh, the possibilities of pranks were endless. Thoughts rushed through his head of possible plans. Then he found it. It was the perfect idea, it would definitely give him a laugh. Poor Kaldur.

"Do you really think I have been sitting here doing nothing? No, of course not. I have been planting bombs in strategic places all around the Watch Tower. You will all be blown sky high before the night is out. Well, you are already higher than the sky so that phrase doesn't work but, well, never mind. All you pathetic heroes won't see another morning. Mwhahahahahha!" Robin cackled again enjoying himself thoroughly, he was going to have fun telling Wally and Artemis this story, maybe even Conner would find some enjoyment out of it.

"Where are they? How long do we have?" Aqualad tried desperately to get answers, nearly to the point of shaking the boy. He had no idea how long they had before this boy potentially killed most of Erath's heroes including all his friends and teammates. He was really starting to panic.

It was at this moment that Superman, Batman and Flash rushed around the corner reaching their position along the corridor, finally answering Aqualad's message. As soon as they saw the scene in front of them they realised what had happened and skidded to a halt. Superman and Flash's expression were quite comical, may I say. Batman just looked neutral and unaffected, like usual (well to those who couldn't read him).

"We must hurry. He has placed bombs all over the Watch Tower but refuses to say how long we have." Aqualad swiftly attempted to fill in the three Leaguers, who were still just staring at the scene in front of them to Kaldur's frustration. Yes, the kid was on the young side but did they seriously have to stare? They were all in serious danger!

"Thank you Aqualad, but you don't have to worry. You can let him go now." Superman stepped forward raising his hands peacefully, finally coming to his senses.

Aqualad hesitantly released his prisoner, still keeping a cautious eye on him. He did not understand why the Leaguers were not panicking, had they already found the bombs? "I am sorry, I do not understand . . ."

"It's fine, Robin was just having some fun, weren't you?" Flash explained smiling, adding a bit of desperation hoping that his nephew-figure hadn't actually turned evil. After seeing Aqualad's shocked expression though he was almost on the floor laughing. Quickly snapping a picture of the confused Atlantian he dashed away. More than likely off to show it to the others.

"What were you doing down here? In civilian clothing no less?" Superman asked looking between the Bat and his protégé, who seemed to be having a silent conversation. Poor Kaldur still looked like he was processing what he had been told.

"Usually I tutor a friend at this time but seeing as I was here we decided I would skype her so that we could continue as we have a big test coming up. She doesn't know about me being Robin." Robin grinned shrugging, before following Flash's path back to the party albeit slower.

Batman and Superman quickly followed him. Superman chuckling and Batman silently with a hidden smirk, leaving a confused Aqualad alone.

"I think I broke him" Robin's last comment echoed down the corridor.

It wasn't until a few days later that Kaldur approached Robin and got the full story from him. Artemis, Wally and even Conner were the story and got plenty of laughter at poor Kaldur's expense. That was how Kaldur finally found out Robin's identity after years of friendship and he was so glad the story had never gotten back to Aquaman (or so he thought at least).

* * *

**Present Time - The Watch Tower**

"It was not funny! I honestly thought you were an intruder!" Kaldur tried to reason through his friend's laughter. They ignored him, too caught up in their joy.

"I still can't you believe you though I was a villain!" Nightwing cackled (he absolutely could and had encouraged that belief at the time but hey, it was fun to laugh at poor Kaldur's expense).

"You make a scarily good villain. Please never go evil on us. I don't think any of us would survive, we wouldn't be able to hurt you probably." Wally begged, having mentally pictured Nightwing as a villain (it wasn't a good image).

"Maybe I should become a villain. I'd be great at it. I know all your identities and how to get into everyone's headquarters." Nightwing looked contemplative, gaining worried glances from his friends, which were only half fake.

"I'm sorry, it really was funny Kaldur. Does Flash still have that photo?" Artemis only vaguely meant the apology, she turned to her boyfriend who was most likely to know.

"Yep! We should show the newbies!" Wally announced still laughing.

"Half of them aren't even that new anymore and they have proven themselves this past year. The only real newbie is Static." Nightwing chuckled at his friend's immaturity. "Though that is a good idea, it would give them something to laugh about. Babs would especially enjoy it, I never told her."

"Don't you dare! By the way Nightwing, its always bothered me. What were you talking about? You were really suspicious. Did you know I was there?" Kaldur suddenly stopped and looked at the youngest member of the group. He had been curious about it for a long time but always forgot to actually ask.

"Actually I didn't know you were there. I was distracted tutoring Barbara in maths. Besides, how am I supposed to remember a conversation from that long ago? You may have just misheard me." Nightwing grinned.

A comfortable silence once again fell, as the group of friends stared into the dark abyss of space outside.

"I missed this." Wally suddenly announced drawing glances from his friends and girlfriend.

"What?" Artemis questioned. Despite becoming more used to her boyfriend's weirdness, no one was ever fully used to it. Well, except maybe Nightwing. Those two had been best friends for years.

"This. When it was just us and it was more peaceful. When we were a family. The old days." Wally explained, gaining nods from the rest of the group. It seemed like such a long time since everything had really been okay. Artemis, Kaldur and Wally shared a glance before turning to Nightwing.

"Nightwing, you do know we're not mad at you? We know you did what you had to do. Yes we were angry because you were keeping secrets, and we are still a bit to be honest but we understand why you did it. The newbies, however, don't really have much reason to be angry so don't listen to them. Everyone will understand and get over any anger they have, you just have to give them time. There were no other options, you didn't have much of a choice." Artemis explained with a sigh.

"Yeah 'Wing. You're still our little brother and you always will be. Besides it was because of you we could get into the meeting." He narrowed his eyes slightly at the younger hero. "One day you are going to fully explain your Titan years and how you know Deathstroke so well" Wally added, expression full of suspicion and worry.

"We will always be here. We are your family. Next time everything starts piling up on you, ask for help." Kaldur stated, serious in a way he rarely was outside of missions these days.

"We will always be your family as long as you don't set your wild siblings on us again." Wally shivered. "Crazy Bats. Do you guys live to scare the rest of the world or something?"

"Ah, that explains it. Batgirl and Robin told you, didn't they?" Nightwing sighed. The trio of matching grins were the only answers he got. He'd been wondering how they knew everything had been weighing down on him "I have something important to tell you about my brothers and something about Talia Al Ghul. Something major has happened." He paused for a second. "However, it can wait until we have enjoyed some peace."

Silence fell once more.

They heard the whistle of fireworks before they saw the bright flashes of colour. They must have lost track of time, the fireworks were supposed to go off at midnight. The fireworks were beacons of light among the darkness of space.

"Hey, guys-"

"Shut up Wally!" Everyone shouted finally out of patience for the noisy speedster.

"Hey, I was just going to ask how they set off fireworks in space. We never worked that out, did we?"


	45. Seasonal Fun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter - another bit of holiday fun. Set after season 2 but Wally isn't dead, the Mountain has been rebuilt and Nightwing is back (he took a little break but is back most of the time now). Nightwing and Aqualad share leadership mostly.  
> Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading!  
> Robyn

It started with a snowball fight. Snow had fallen all around the newly rebuilt Mountain and half the team had been thinking wistfully about it it was often they got to just play around in the snow. The lack of focus wasn't exactly hard to notice, especially when they are in the middle of a training match. Easy to say Nightwing was getting tired of no one really paying any attention to his instructions. It was Christmas eve and everyone with families would be leaving later on in the day to spend Christmas with their family. Those who didn't have anyone would be staying with the League in the Mountain (they had decided it would be better to be on Earth for Christmas - that way they could easily respond to any threats that occurred).

Nightwing sighed, swiftly finishing his match against the very distracted Beast Boy (he of course won, Beast Boy didn't need to be distracted for that to happen though). No one really had their mind set on training today, the winter wonderland outside just seemed more appealing in their minds. Nightwing froze as a grin spread across his face, he had an idea.

"Right everyone, seeing as no one is really paying attention we are going to do something different. I'm going to put everyone into teams, I am choosing teams-." This announcement was met by groans. "Calm down, it isn't that bad." Nightwing looked around the room, trying to decide who to put with who.

"Impulse, Beast Boy, Blue Beetle and Robin, you're team one." The group looked at each, happy to be with people they could work with. Not that they couldn't work with the others it was just nice to be with friends.

"Lagoon boy, Aqualad, Artemis and Static, you're team two." The four looked at each other, it was a slightly odd pairing but Nightwing's theory was to get Lagoon boy and Aqualad talking, with Artemis as back up and still train Static at the same time.

"Guardian, Bumblebee, Wonder Girl and Batgirl, you guys are team three." The three girls looked at each other, already making plans. Guardian gulped, glad he was on their side, despite being outnumbered.

"Superboy, Miss Martian, Kid Flash. It looks like you will have to be a trio. Either way, you're team four." Nightwing shrugged, slightly annoyed at the odd number.

"Aren't you taking part 'Wing?" Beast Boy asked, his head tilted to the side.

"No, I will be observing and refereeing and, well you'll see." The sound of his tone made the people who knew him best feel nervous, that tone of voice was never good.

"I think we could help with the odd number." Everyone turned around to see Roy aka Red Arrow. In his arms was his baby daughter, Lian. "I think it is about time I got myself back into shape, and I'm sure Lian wants to meet her aunts and uncles."

"Thanks Red Arrow, that's appreciated. You will be on team 4 with Superboy, Kid Flash and Miss Martian then. I'll take care of Lian, if that is okay?" Nightwing got a smile and nod from the archer.

"Right everyone listen up. This is a training exercise, dodging, accuracy, defence and teamwork are key to this exercise. You will have twenty minutes to build a defensive structure and then fire projectiles at the other teams. No powers or abilities allowed, no contact with other team, projectiles only. When you hear the whistle you start building, another whistle will signals the start of the fight and the final whistle is the end." Nightwing paced in front of the groups looking almost like an army commander shouting instructions to his men.

"Emmm, you haven't actually said what it is we will actually be doing." Impulse piped up, hand raised nervously.

"A snowball fight." Nightwing didn't even try to hide his grin at the looks he was receiving.

"Really! All that build up for a snowball fight? Seriously 'Wing that is just like you!" Kid Flash exclaimed, his hands thrown high in the air.

"Honestly, get your coats, hats and gloves on and meet outside in five minutes." With that Nightwing walked over to Roy and Lian. The rest of the team shrugged and walked off to do as they were told, leaving Nightwing, Roy and baby Lian alone in the room

"Are you sure you're okay entrusting me with Lian?" Nightwing questioned worried, looking down at the baby.

"I'm sure. You were always the best with kids. Lian deserves to know her uncle and I think it is time she experiences her first snowball fight. Stop being so scared, she'll love you." Roy chuckled, passing Lian over to Nightwing. Instinctively he made the right hold, Lian giggled happily in his arms, waving her tiny little hands at him.

"Now I'm going to get ready. See you outside." Roy walked off to get ready leaving a smiling Nightwing behind.

* * *

Soon the team was ready outside in the winter wonderland. Everyone was dressed up in a rainbow of coats, hats, gloves and scarves. They were all split up into their teams, whispering to each other, making plans to defeat the other teams. They were all happy they were finally able to play in the snow, even if it was as a 'training exercise'. Several of them realised Nightwing's game, this was the only way any of them would accomplish any training today and it was also an opportunity for some fun.

The winter wonderland in front of them was, in reality, a field near the Mountain. It had small patches of trees near the border on one side but hadn't really been used for any crops this year. The field was covered in a beautiful blanket of untouched snow. The snow had fallen during the night and had lingered all day, as temperatures remained too cold. It was deep but not deep enough to cause too many problems, reaching up to their ankles mostly.

"Right everyone, when you hear the whistle, split up and start building your forts. Snow only. Oh and one final rule. Have fun!" The whistle echoed across the field.

The teams scattered, finding a spot and starting to build their forts and ammo. They whispered (or tried to whisper) their plans to each other. Rough forts were quickly constructed and piles of ammo were swiftly growing. The forts frequently collapsed, creating new piles of snow and leading to plenty of cursing as the team quickly tried to repair it.

Nightwing and Lian however had disappeared from sight. The team had assumed they had gone back inside to warm Lian up as she was still young. In reality they were both hiding nearby in their own fort. Lian was wrapped up in multiple layers and still giggling away. Nightwing wanted to know how the team reacted under surprise attack, plus he wanted to have a bit of his own fun.

Nightwing had built his own fort quickly using the shadows of the trees to his advantage. The shade made it harder to spot, the fact no would be looking for him here helped make it the perfect spot. He had Lian in a basket full of blankets just to be careful. To the side of his fort he had a large pile of snowballs that he would be throwing at people equally. (Which meant he was going to aim mostly for Wally and Robin).

After twenty minutes were up Nightwing blew the whistle from his hidden spot and chaos started. Snowballs were flying everywhere, laughter and screams echoed through the cold air. The teams were all failing to hide behind their broken forts and just having fun. Unknown to them, some of that fire was coming from Nightwing, with help from Lian of course. They were also hitting the most people. Wally was very confused about where these snowballs that kept hitting him were coming from - no one was in the direction they came from.

Not that everyone else wasn't doing well. The original team had had practice from several years of snowball fights, however the newer members were younger and had most likely had many snowball fights in their years. Those who hadn't ever had a snowball fight were getting the hang of it quickly. Soon there was no one who hadn't been hit (apart from Nightwing and Lian).

Almost an hour and a half later, there was still no clear winner, (though Wally was suspiciously covered in more snow than anyone else) but it was starting to get really cold. Everyone had been covered in snow and were really starting to really feel the chill. With a sigh, Nightwing whistled to signal the end. The whistle was met with many annoyed groans.

"Come on, half an hour more!" Robin shouted, drawing cheers from the rest of the team.

"Sorry guys, most of you have to leave in a few hours and it is starting to get colder and dark." Nightwing reasoned. He appeared from his fort for the first time since the games started before moving past the group back into the Mountain, Lian in his arms fast asleep. The rest of the team followed, disappearing back into their rooms to take off their wet clothes and getting dressed into warm, dry stuff.

Slowly everyone made their way into the lounge. The room was decorated with lights and tinsel, a tree stood in the corner, a star on top, baubles and lights glistening. The team sat where ever they could, on the sofas, floor or even each other. They just enjoyed the time to relax and be a team, without worrying about this here or that there. It was a nice change and warmer in the cave than outside (they had only realised how cold they were getting as they moved back into the warmth of the Mountain).

Nightwing had given Lian back to Roy who was now talking to Artemis. Wally was in a heated debate with Impulse as Blue Beetle stood next to them looking bemused. Batgirl was chatting happily with Bumblebee and Wonder Girl. Superboy and Aqualad were enjoying each others presence in the quiet. Robin, Beast Boy and Guardian were in a corner scheming. Lagoon Boy was watching everyone else just content to be silent. Nightwing had disappeared into the kitchen with Miss Martian as the rest of the group started to gather. The pair of them came into the lounge balancing trays with smoking mugs on them.

"Hot chocolate, anyone?" Miss Martian called. Quickly all the steaming mugs were gone from the trays and instead in the team's hands warming them up after their 'training exercise'. For once silence reigned, everyone happy and warm. Enjoying their hot chocolate, glad to have something to warm them up after the cold, but fun, afternoon.

Suddenly Wally decided to break the peace that had settled. "Remember our first snowball fight?" Wally laughed, looking at the original members. Drawing confused but intrigued glances from the newer team members; it was rare they talked about the old days but when they did it was usually worth listening.

"Yeah, Nightwing was full of random Christmas facts back then. Aqualad, Superboy and Miss Martian were so confused as well." Artemis laughed.

"Hey! At least we were not attacking our own team members." Aqualad protested, giving an accusing look at Artemis.

"He was annoying me. He still does." Artemis shrugged, ignoring the protests from her boyfriend.

"Those were the good old days." Miss Martian added, the rest of the original team nodded.

"Maybe one day you guys can tell us some old stories?" Bumblebee asked, gaining nods from the rest of the newer members. The old days were almost like a taboo to the original team, they were brilliant at keeping secrets (almost as good as Nightwing when he was with the Titans). She was pushing her luck, but seeing as they were in such a good mood she was hopeful.

"One day. We promise, you guys deserve to know." Superboy stated vaguely. They did deserve to know, but they weren't quite ready to talk about it yet.

"How about we watch a movie?" Nightwing declared drawing looks and agreement. He was glad, they needed to move the topic away from the old days, along with the good there had been plenty of bad. The new topic worked perfectly as the distraction it had been intended as.

"Something Christmas-y. How about Elf?" Beast Boy jumped up and down, the sugar in the hot chocolate already giving him a new burst of energy.

"No, A Christmas Carol!" Wonder Girl argued.

"I think we should watch the Nightmare before Christmas." Blue Beetle voiced his opinion.

"No, Arthur Christmas!" Kid Flash demanded.

"What about Miracle on 34th Street?!" Batgirl suggested.

"Let's have a vote!" Nightwing stood trying to calm all the shouting down. In the end Miracle on 34th Street won, but only just. Everyone settled down and enjoyed the movie. Spirit was high and the cheer was a happy improvement from the tiring year.

Anyone who hadn't seen it was shouting, laughing and smiling the whole way through. Everyone who had joined them, Batgirl was mouthing all the words as they went along, drawing laughter from the rest of the group. Their favourite scenes were the 'I believe', Christmas card and final scene.

Unfortunately it was time for people to go all too quickly. Most of them departed with a wave and went home to celebrate the holidays. Even Aqualad and Lagoon boy were going home to Atlantis. Impulse was going to the Flash family/Arrow family get together, as was Roy, Lian, Artemis and Wally. No one was going to be alone. Anyone without family was spending the holidays with the League members who also didn't have any other family to spend it with. They would be spending the holiday period at the Mountain, starting today.

Nightwing, Batgirl and Robin would be going home with Batman to celebrate with Agent A who was waiting with some other people. Despite what people thought, Christmas at Wayne manor was spectacular and quite joyful. Well, that is if you don't wake Bruce before 10.


	46. Robin the Mathlete

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter - Robin reveals his mathematical genius and M'gann discovers his identity (finally).  
> The first part is set just after season 1 and the second is about a year before the invasion.  
> Next chapter - Renegade (angst! Yay)  
> Thanks for reading and please enjoy!  
> Robyn

**The Mountain - Post Season 1**

It was a peaceful day in the Mountain, the birds were singing, the trees swayed in the gentle breeze, Wally was moaning. Who am I kidding? It was definitely not peaceful. The team were all relaxing in the cave, doing the one thing most teenagers universally hate. Homework. You see with all the missions they had been on they hadn't had much time to keep up with school work. It didn't help that the teachers had been pilling homework and assignments up recently.

Which is how the situation arose. Picture this; the team is in the lounge. Artemis leaning over some science work, Conner looking puzzled at some English research essay, Kaldur helping Raquel with some history assignment, Wally lying on his belly cookies in hand as he struggled through Spanish, Zatanna trying to do Geography, M'gann attempting maths and Robin was looking smug as he had already caught up with all his homework (Batman wouldn't let him out if he wasn't keeping up).

Wally moaned for what was like (exactly) the twenty third time in the past hour. "I give up. Why did I chose Spanish!? Why? Why?" Robin's chuckles interrupted his dramatic monologue. "Oh, shut up you! You don't have to be so smug just 'cause you don't have any homework to catch up on."

"I am allowed to be smug after all I don't allow myself to fall behind in school." This statement had the added extra of Robin sticking out his tongue at Wally.

"Shut it Boy Wonder and Kid Idiot! I am trying to finish this stupid chemistry work. When am I ever going to need to know all the elements in the periodic table?" Artemis exclaimed throwing her hands up in the air in frustration.

"Well if you go into chemistry or even for quizzes." M'gann answered helpfully.

"That was a rhetorical question M'gann she didn't actually want an answer." Zatanna tried to explain gently.

"Don't listen to them sweet cheeks. Besides I am awesome enough that I do know all the elements." Wally shouted across the room, he may struggle with Spanish but he knew his science.

"Shut up science geek. We don't want to hear it." Robin groaned.

"Hey! Don't call me that, math nerd." Wally argued. The two continued to bicker back and forth while the rest of the team watched.

"Why are they being so mean to each other?" M'gann asked looking like she was about to leap forward and interrupt.

"Don't worry girl. It's just their way of showing they care. They're teasing each other." Raquel stepped forward, stretching as she'd been sitting for so long.

"That is a strange custom." Kaldur added furrowing his eyebrows.

"Yep!" Chorused Zatanna and Raquel.

The team watched as the two continued to argue. Artemis even muttered something about getting popcorn. Soon the pair were rolling around the floor wrestling, homework completely forgotten.

"What did they mean by science geek and math nerd?" Conner asked, he understood the terms he just didn't get why they were calling each other that.

"Yeah, Boy Wonder, Kid Mouth! Why are you shouting about that?" Artemis yelled at the pair, trying to get their attention away from their roughhousing.

The two sat up hurriedly, Robin was unharmed while Wally's hair was wild and his clothes were dirty. Giant smiles spread across their faces.

"Well, this jerk is the biggest science geek in Central City. Meaning he is really into science and has a surprising knowledge on it. He's not a complete idiot sometimes." Robin grinned, poking his friend who tried and failed to bat him away.

"This weirdo actually enjoys maths. He is a mathlete even and competes in competitions for his school." Wally poked Robin back. Soon the team went back to finishing their homework, having got their answers. The distraction had been nice but they really did have to complete their homework.

* * *

Later that day when most of the team had left or gone back to their rooms in the Mountain. It was only M'gann who was left tidying and Robin who had stayed behind to help. The pair were cleaning away stray paper and left over snacks, they had agreed to keep the Mountain tidy and knew the adults would be on their backs if they didn't.

"Robin?" M'gann paused as she washed the dishes.

"Yes Miss M?" Robin looked up at his friend from his place drying the dishes that M'gann washed.

"Wally said you were a mathlete, right?" With a nod from Robin she continued. "Would you be able to help me with my maths homework? We're having a test next week and I really don't understand how to do some questions. I was wondering if you could help explain them to me?" M'gann questioned nervously.

"Of course Miss M I'm happy to help, always. Let's finish up and then I'll explain it to you." With that the pair finished tidying up and then went back into the lounge where Robin explained to M'gann how to do everything she couldn't understand. As they were working away, M'gann was piecing together some things; Robin was from Gotham, he had dark hair, was a mathlete, plus that accident with the media? She finally figured it out.

"Richard Grayson!" She suddenly exclaimed, interrupting Robin as he explained a problem. He looked up startled by her voice and the words, he dropped the pencil he had been twirling in his fingers. His expression confirmed her theory, but she still wanted him to say it. "That's your name isn't it? I should have known sooner, it seems obvious now!"

He grinned at her, glad she had finally discovered her identity. "How'd you figure it out?"

"I was watching the news this morning and you were mentioned as you won a recent math competition. I think it just clicked after Wally said you were a mathlete." M'gann shrugged, smiling proud of herself. He grinned wider at her and explained more of the story. Finally the original team all knew his identity. They finished her math homework before discussing other things. She even managed to convince him to tell her some old traditions. If M'gann happened to start making some special cookies every so often than no one commented (even Wally who knew the cookies were Robin's mom's speciality).

Now if this was a children's book there would be an important message, I guess you could say that the message was never be afraid to ask people for help and don't underestimate people. After all who would have thought that Dick Grayson was Robin?

* * *

**The Mountain - 1 Year before Invasion**

It was a similar situation which led to the team discovering about the original Robin, now Nightwing's, mathematical ability. The team were relaxing and by relaxing I mean doing school work. Once again they had gotten behind on homework and those who didn't go to school were taking the time to read or other things while everyone else struggled to complete their assignments. Even members of the original team, specifically Wally and Artemis were there.

Nightwing was lounging in a chair reading a book, every so often his eyes would glance over at the younger group attempting to do their work. He kept a careful watch out for any possible trouble, you never knew what could happen especially with this odd mixture of teens. Though he was enjoying his book, he admittedly was also enjoying seeing everyone together even for a little while. It was so rare these days for them all to be together without being busy.

"I give up! This is stupid! I swear math exists to infuriate people!" Garfield cried interrupting the peace that had settled for the past hour. Until now, only the occasional mumble had broken the silence. "It doesn't make any sense and they tell you all these rules but there are always exceptions that don't make any sense."

"For once I have to agree, mi amigo." Jamie nodded, with sounds of agreement from Cassie, Robin and Batgirl. They had all been attempting to do math and struggling, it didn't help they were at different levels and had learnt different stuff. You would have thought they could help each other but they couldn't as they all barely understood it and were all at different stages. Though Batgirl and Robin did have a better understanding of the work, they had no idea how to explain it to the others.

"Math is like one of the worst subjects out there. You learn all this stuff then never use half of it, and all the numbers give me headaches." Cassie moaned.

"I bet it isn't that bad. Besides you can use it in lots of different stuff, but yeah admittedly you never use half of it unless you actually go into a math heavy degree." Nightwing tried to cheer them up. "Besides if you want a subject that makes no sense and has contradicting rules, you should try English."

"You can't say that! It is probably horrible like all math is. You also can't say anything about English, you had so much fun butchering it. Although I am surprised, I thought Bats wouldn't let Batgirl and Robin out if they weren't caught up on their work, he never let you away with it." Wally exclaimed, turning contemplative at the end, it had been bothering him as he remembered how much Nightwing used to complain about it.

"I think he is easing up on his Daddy Bats act slightly. He isn't as overprotective and gives Robin and Batgirl more freedom." Nightwing shrugged.

"I don't think that is ever going to happen, especially concerning you 'Wing." Artemis scoffed looking up from her book. Nightwing rolled his eyes at her but didn't argue, knowing it was hopeless.

"Moving on. What are you struggling with Garfield?" Nightwing asked strolling over and sitting down next to the frustrated hero.

"I don't understand how to do this." Garfield sighed pointing at a question. "It's been explained to me several times but I still keep messing up!"

"Well, you have to do this . . ." With that Nightwing explained as best as he could how to answer all the questions that Gar was struggling with, helping him work through several problems until he started to get the hang of it.

"You're good at maths?" Robin asked his face pulled in an expression of surprise, he really hadn't expected that from his older brother. He knew Nightwing was a talented hero but he acted like such a dork at times it was easy to forget he was actually very smart.

"Don't look so surprised. 'Wing here was a mathlete and a maths genius. He won a ridiculous amount of competitions. You do know he skipped a couple grades right? You're brother is like a secret genius." Wally bragged for his friend, he knew the younger heroes kept underestimating him, especially in terms of smarts and it frustrated him sometimes.

"Ignore him. Kid Mouth never shuts up, but if you struggle with any science work Kid Moron here is a science geek." Nightwing pushed said moron, rolling his eyes again.

"I am very proud of being a science geek! Which is why I'm going to share my genius with all of you impressionable young minds by singing the new periodic table song." Wally grinned ignoring the groans from the Artemis and Nightwing whom had had the displeasure of hearing it before (way too many times).

"There's hydrogen and helium and lithium, beryllium-" Wally started singing, very off tune.

"No, stop him!" Nightwing leapt after his friend. Artemis soon joined him trying to catch the speedster as he ran around the room, barley dodging the angry pair.

"Boron, carbon everywhere and nitrogen all through the air. There's oxygen so you can breath and fluorine for your pretty teeth. Neon to light up the signs and sodium for salty times. Magnesium." Wally continued his voice reaching a terrible crescendo.

"Nooooooooo!" Artemis screeched as she attempted to catch her boyfriend alongside Nightwing as the rest of the team watched the show eagerly. It wasn't every day that you got to witness the speedster being chased around a room by his girlfriend and best friend. Actually, scratch that it was fairly common, well it used to be.

It didn't look like Artemis and Nightwing would be able to catch Wally until Wally turned around to look at his pursuers and bumped into something, or rather someone. He turned around only to gulp at who he had ran into. It was the Dark Knight himself. Wally received a Bat Glare for his unfortunate situation. Luckily he had been on the receiving end so many times he was fairly used to it, though that didn't really make it any less scary.

With a glance at the rest of the (now silent) team Batman turned with a swirl of his cape and disappeared around a corner. He was leaving to do something important, probably. Unconsciously almost every one of the non-Bats let out a breath of air they didn't know they had been holding.

"You know? I think you're right. He isn't as scary anymore. He's slipping." Wally tilted his head contemplatively, still collapsed on the ground in a rather odd position.

"Yeah you can go tell him that." Batgirl snorted, gaining a quick head shake from the speedster who had finally sat up.

"Wally, I never said that he wasn't scary-." Nightwing sighed, shaking his head at his friend.

"Scary schmary. Well, now that he is gone-." Wally leapt up and resumed his horrible singing drawing groans from the whole room. With a cackle he was back off speeding around the room.

Nightwing grinned, it was just like the old days. He was glad they had gotten off topic about his abilities. He enjoyed people underestimating him, it gave him an advantage. It was also great to get a break rom everything, things had slowly started going crazy and he had this terrible feeling that something really bad was coming.


	47. Renegade

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter - Renegade (part 1). Lots of angst and hurt!Nightwing ahead - he really isn't alright.  
> This is set after season 2 so he isn't in the best mind set. The Titans and most of the Bat Fam show up as well, plus others.  
> In my universe there had been more than one apprenticeship between Nightwing/Deathstroke so they have done some bonding and come to agreements but no one knows about these (or at least details).  
> Wally didn't 'cease' - Nightwing jumped in and ended up badly hurt but saved Wally, he still left the team for a while. Also, Grant isn't dead - just badly injured and pretending to be dead.  
> And that's everything I think - sorry for the long note but it is a long chapter.  
> Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy! 9Please let me know what you think!)  
> Robyn

It was about a week after the Invasion and tension were still running high amongst certain members of the team. After Nightwing's plan, things had been a bit more interesting and suspicious of each other. Arguments and fights between members happened frequently. The only apparent good thing to come from the whole event was that most villains had been laying low. That meant the week had been extremely quiet leaving many (cough all cough) members of the team bored. Which led to even more fights.

Having so many teens in one place, especially when deathly bored, meant they probably should have predicted the outcome of the day, which was in one word - disastrous. To be fair it had been coming for a while and being bored was only a small factor in it.

It started with the majority of the team hanging around the holograms, due to it being a quiet space where they could meet. The Watch Tower wasn't really the same, it didn't quite feel like a home or base and they were constantly surrounded by League members, but Mount Justice was still under construction.

Lagoon Boy, Blue Beetle and Impulse were hanging around the second Robin's hologram with tense shoulders. Lagoon Boy and Blue Beetle were face to face glaring at each other while Impulse tried to calm the pair down. Impulse's attempts were to no avail however as the pair were soon wrestling each other. This wasn't the first argument between the pair but it was the first time it had escalated into an all out fight.

Beast Boy was the first to notice as most of the senior members were talking further out of the way, amongst the tress. They had separated themselves from the rest of the team quite a bit recently. He had glanced at the pair out of the corner of his eyes while talking to Wonder Girl and when he saw what was happening he rushed over, ignoring Wonder Girl's confused shout. He started shouting at them to be careful as they were getting scarily close to the hologram of Robin and if they weren't careful they would damage it. However as he closed the distance (still in his vaguely human shape) he tripped and rolled straight into the bottom of the statue he had been trying to protect.

The thud he made as he hit it echoed into the now silent clearing. The sound had made everyone stop to see what was happening, including the pair fighting and older members of the team. The part of the pedestal he hit made a weird clicking noise before a shallow draw came out revealing a piece of cloth that looked like a costume. Beast Boy, having sat up with a slight rub of his head peaked into the draw first, curious to why and how it got to be in there, followed be the rest of the team that had run over at some point.

Beast Boy lifted the costume out of the draw swiftly, curiosity quickly changing to a terrified expression after seeing what exactly it was. He stood up unravelling the costume by accident, revealing it to the whole team. It was similar to Nightwing's suit, except instead of a mask there was a half mask that covered down to the bottom of the nose, while leaving the hair uncovered. Instead of a blue bird there was a red pattern that snaked all around and down the suit. The gloves were long and went to a point at the elbows. There was also a pair of large black boots.

Staring at the suit in horror, Beast Boy dropped it. "No, no, no. Why is it-? Why would he-?"

"Beast Boy, what's wrong?" Aqualad stepped forward putting a supportive hand on the younger boy's shoulder. The rest of the team watched on confused at the display. Well, all but one. Bumblebee had a worried look on her face, she had a suspicion what the suit meant but she was desperately hoping she was wrong.

It was one of those moments of terrible coincidences and accident which meant that this moment had to become even worse. As Beast Boy started muttering Nightwing had appeared from amongst the trees. He had been planning to talk with Robin about something when he saw the group around Jason's hologram. With a sinking feeling in his gut he approached the group. The only warning of his approach was the breaking of a branch underfoot which made the majority of the group jump and swivel around swiftly. Beast Boy, upon seeing Nightwing, leapt forward. Only just stopping before he hit the older hero and stared up at Nightwing.

"Why!? Why was it there? Have you seen him? Why?!-" Beast Boy started shaking.

"What do you-." Nightwing's question was stopped as he saw the costume lying abandoned on the ground. His eyes, behind the mask, widened almost comically and a breath caught in the back of his throat. Now shaking as well, he looked down at the green boy before glancing at the team. Seemingly making a mental decision he turned and fled, disappearing into the forest before anyone could stop him.

The rest of the team, completely bewildered by the strange encounter, looked at the young shape shifter who was still shaking slightly. He had given up trying to remain on his feet and had fallen on to his knees. Bumblebee stepped forward and crouched down. Putting a caring hand on his shoulder.

"Was that-?" She didn't even need to finish her question as the shaken boy nodded with a fearful look in his eyes. Her eyes widened before darkening, saddened with the realisation that she had been right.

"Bumblebee what is wrong with Beast Boy and Nightwing? And what about that costume has the pair so scared?" Superboy glared as if he could read her mind and learn all the secrets if he looked hard enough. He wanted to know the reason why and how a piece of fabric could scare two people he really cared about.

"You guys remember meeting the Titans and Ravager, right?" With cautious nods as the team answered, she continued. "Remember them telling you about Slade? Well, when 'Wing was his apprentice he was called Renegade and that was his suit."

She looked up from Beast Boy only to be met with shocked eyes. "We were never sure but we think Nightwing and Slade met a few times afterwards as well. But we never had any proof of it happening or what went on. I hadn't even seen the suit before now. Only the original Titans have."

"You mean not only did he almost kill us during the Invasion and put us all in danger but he has also has been working with a mercenary? He betrayed us!" Lagoon Boy shouted his whole body screaming with anger and betrayal.

There were many faces prepared to argue however it was Impulse that got there first surprisingly. "If it wasn't for Nightwing's plan than we would all be dead, besides he did the best be could and he hasn't betrayed us! In the future he was one of the last heroes still standing and helped the newest generations, I've known him since I was little. He wouldn't betray us." The future speedster had ran in front of the Atlantian and had given up on all attempts of peace from earlier. The rest of the team looked shocked at one of the rare acknowledgements of the future, Impulse didn't share stuff often, he couldn't.

"He is right. Nightwing hasn't betrayed us, besides we agreed to go undercover, it was not just Nightwing's decision. Though I do remember something that Deathstroke said to me. We didn't interact often but the one time that we did he mentioned that he'd had an apprentice, and something about a deal. It didn't register at the time but he gave Aqualad and I looks all the time, I think he knew exactly who we were." Artemis admitted as everyone watched her. She fiddled with a bit of hair nervously, wanting to and not wanting to know what it all meant.

"We need to find him." Superboy stated firmly, leaving no room for arguments.

"I'm calling the Titans." Beast Boy stood up, his hands in fists glaring determinedly at the dirt. He stopped all protest with a hand. "No, they deserve to know, Nightwing is still a Titan plus we know more about him and Slade than you do."

"What do you mean he's still a Titan?" Static asked voicing his confusion for the first time. He had very little idea about what we going on.

"Of course, you don't know. Nightwing was leader of the Titans for a few years and even as part of this team he still leads them and occasionally goes over to help look after the newer heroes. Slade was a mercenary that forced him to be his apprentice by threatening the original Titans." Bumblebee explained from her new position in her boyfriend, Guardian's, arms.

"Alright. We need to think logically though. Where will he be?" Miss Martian stepped forward looking at the group for answers, trying to get the conversation back onto actually finding Nightwing.

"Bludhaven. It's his current home plus he knows it better than anybody. It's where he would go. Beast Boy tell the Titans to meet us there." Kid Flash looked serious as he added his part to the conversation.

With nods the team moved out to get ready before leaving for Bludhaven in hopes of solving this mystery and making sure Nightwing was okay.

* * *

Nightwing leapt from building to building, flipping here and there desperately trying to get away from everyone. He'd taken the zeta-beam to Bludhaven and tried to put as much distance between it and him as he could. Finally stopping on one of the tallest buildings he collapsed, his back against a rooftop generator. Leaning against it and curling into himself he broke down. Tears streamed down his face and choked sobs echoed in the evening.

It had been a long 7 months, with Batman gone he had been left with so many extra responsibilities, especially with the recent discoveries with his brothers. He had been struggling to keep up with everything and was seriously needing more sleep as he had been missing far too much., even compared to normal. It seemed like some days he had to be in two or three places at once, how he had managed it he didn't know and hoped he didn't have to find out again. His brothers (and sisters) didn't exactly help either. They were always fighting or arguing over something or other just when he needed peace and some help.

Talk of the devil and they shall appear. With a not so gentle thud, Red Hood landed on the rooftop with his brother and his gaze immediately finds Nightwing. "Well Goldie, what are you doing? Did your girlfriend break up with you? Which one was it again?"

Face breaking with a small grin at his brother's poor attempt at humour he glanced up at the same moment Red Hood sat down next to him and took his helmet off, becoming Jason. His younger brother may have chosen to mostly be an anti-hero but it didn't mean he would give up on him. They were family and he didn't give up on family no matter what. Despite all the arguments and headaches it caused.

"Well, Dickie-Bird? What's got you like this? You're going to ruin my reputation." Nightwing raised an eyebrow, Jason was odd in the way he showed he cared.

"I went to see the team-." Before even finishing his sentence, Jason decided to interrupt his older brother. His eyebrows scrunched up and his mouth settled in a line, his whole body tensed with anger and annoyance.

"Why did you even go near those jerks? They don't have any clue what you did for them during the Invasion. I swear if it went on any longer you were going to collapse." Jason glared at his helmet as if imagining he was beating up the team who had hurt his brother. Not that he would ever really admit he cared, because that would mess with his image.

"Nice to know you care, Jay." This statement was met with a scoff. "However it wasn't that. Besides it was my fault. It was me that made the plan and put both Artemis and Kaldur in danger as well as almost endangering the rest of the team. I caused so much grief with the plan. I deserve the criticism and hate." Nightwing gazed distantly out over the dirty landscape of his city. He hadn't told any of his family that he had in fact collapsed multiple times.

"Well that's the biggest load of bul-."

"Jason!"

"I mean trash, that I have ever heard. Those jerks need to pull their heads out of the sewer and actually see sense. Your plan was the only thing that saved them, saved the world." Jason was prepared to carry on but was interrupted by a certain black and orange mercenary making a graceful and near silent landing on the rooftop. They wouldn't have heard him if they weren't both highly trained.

"Well isn't this a nice little party. What are you doing here Deathstroke?" Jason glared at the mercenary, swiftly moving to his feet and standing in front of Nightwing, pulling his helmet back on. He remembered what had happened during 'Wing's Titan years with this guy.

"I simply wish to speak with Nightwing. He made a deal with me to protect those teammates of his." Deathstroke answered calmly never taking his eye off of Nightwing, who was equally watching the mercenary.

"It's okay Jay." Nightwing had stood up and gently pushed past his younger, albeit taller, brother aside. Smiling softly at his cautious look. "He's right, we need to talk. Don't worry about me. We need to speak privately, would you mind running a bit of interference? I have a feeling the team may appear."

With a last worried glance at his brother, Jason hesitantly leapt from the roof in search of the heroes that were inevitably coming. With a sigh Nightwing looked at the mercenary, preparing himself for this conversation. Despite them getting on better now, after a couple of other kidnappings and stuff with Wintergreen and his kids, the mercenary still unnerved him slightly. Not that he would ever show it.

* * *

The team had finally made it to Bludhaven and the Titans had just arrived. Joining them on a rooftop near the edge of the city, closest to the city's zeta-beam. Amongst some of the faces they knew (the original Titans, Titans East (excluding Speedy and Bumblebee) and Jinx) there were some others.

Cyborg and Aqualad (Kaldur) stepped forward as leaders for the two groups. For a second they just stood facing each other before Raven coughed prompting Cyborg to actually speak. The groups didn't interact too often and weren't actually on the best of terms bar a few members (namely Bumblebee, Beast Boy and Nightwing). "First as you can see we have some new Titans. This is Hot Spot, Argent, Red Star, Stargirl, Molecule, Thunder and Lightning. However they aren't staying, they just wanted to introduce themselves to you." Cyborg said this through gritted teeth as if he had lost an argument. From the looks the Titans were giving each other it was pretty likely he had.

Aqualad raised an eyebrow at the row of sheepish looking heroes, clearly they had missed something. The Titans quickly huddled, having a discussion, which included quite a lot of complaints and whining from the newest group. It quickly stopped, and ended with the new group leaving having accomplished what they wanted.

"Did we miss something?" Aqualad asked watching the disappearing silhouettes of the heroes, with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't ask. Please. Now what did you call us out here for?" Cyborg replied with a groan.

"It's about Nightwing-." Aqualad attempted to explain but was swiftly interrupted.

"What about him? Are you going to hurt him again? He doesn't need anymore of you telling him stuff about his plans. You have no idea what he was going through during the Invasion." Raven accused with a sharp tone that suggested she would rather work with her father than help them hurt Nightwing.

"That's true, but even you don't know everything that he went through during the Invasion." A new figure had appeared out of the shadows strolling along the rooftop towards the two teams. He strolled between the two teams and everything about him said he was smirking even though they couldn't actually see his face.

Robin instantly whipped out his staff and jumped into a fighting stance, immediately recognising the new-comer. "Red Hood. He's an anti-hero that keeps attacking Batman and I in Gotham." He explained to both teams who quickly joined Robin in fighting stances.

"Calm down Replacement, I'm just having a bit of fun. Also, I think the Titans would know me better as Red X, although I think it is about time that I come clean. Sheesh, the stuff I do for Goldie." He took his helmet off (revealing a domino mask on underneath keeping his eyes covered) and ran a hand through his hair, ignoring the large group of superheroes cautiously watching his every move.

"The original team would know me, well you all probably should have heard of me despite the fact that I'm not as famous as the Golden boy, and to be honest I'm quite disappointed none of you have worked it out yet." He paused as if giving them a chance to figure it out before sighing dramatically and carrying on. I was the second Robin. When Nightwing was with the team too much and then after he left for Jump I patrolled Gotham with Bats." Jason accompanied this with a dramatic bow.

"How's that possible? You died." Kid Flash was the first to speak. "Joker killed you, Nightwing and Batman were devastated."

"Your faces are hilarious by the way, but yeah I died. Blame Ra and the Lazarus pits, he brought me back. Also don't mention that clown to me. I'm not entirely sure about the Bats thing either though Goldie is trying to convince me otherwise. I was lost for a while but somehow I found myself in Jump and I found Goldie, I thought it would be fun to annoy him and his new team. However he figured out who I was pretty quickly and looked after me when I needed it. Though I thought the Titans would have been suspicious. Why weren't you more suspicious about him not fighting back to retrieve the Red X suit?"

"We didn't exactly find it that important at the time." Raven replied with a raised eyebrow at the anti-hero.

"Why didn't 'Wing tell us?" Robin asked. "Batman would have wanted to know as well as everyone else."

"I asked him not to say. I think he knew that if he said anything I would vanish and he didn't want to ruin the opportunity. Besides it was none of your or his business. Also, the Demon already knows." Jason shrugged unaffected by the comments or suspicious glances.

"What Demon? Because I'm pretty sure you don't mean Raven." Cyborg interrupted the brothers with a glare, daring Jason to have called Raven a demon. Besides Raven didn't know so he couldn't have meant Raven. The group ignored the shock exclamations of "Demon!?"

"I thought 'Wing would have told you by now," Jason trailed off slightly confused, leaving an awkward silence which clearly said that Nightwing hadn't.

"What did you mean earlier, new friend X?" Starfire questioned from her position next to Raven as she floated just off the ground. Trying to change the subject back to what they had all originally come here for.

"What?" Jason blinked confused by what the orange alien meant, he'd lost track of what he'd actually said on arrival.

"I think she means from earlier when you said that we didn't know what Nightwing has done for us." Guardian answered everyone's confusion.

"Yeah, what did you mean by that?" Wonder Girl asked speaking for the first time. She had looked up to Nightwing but the Invasion had left her a bit unsure and hurt. Most of the Team were the same, even La'gaan, his anger was from hurt, Nightwing and he used to spar all the time. They had all looked up to the older hero.

"Oh, yeah. During the Invasion Nightwing was finishing university, starting training to be a cop (not that I told you that, okay?), looking after Batman's day job (which is a big responsibility), fostering the younger members of our family (meaning about 3/4 kids and teens) and looked after us while the Bat was away, he also spent his nights patrolling Bludhaven as Nightwing and patrolling Gotham as Batman. Amongst all that he was also looking after the Titans and looking after/running you guys. Meaning that for several months he barely got an hour of sleep at night and that was with me sometimes stepping in as Nightwing on rare occasions. He ran himself into the ground and all you do is insult him." Red Hood looked at them his face set in an accusing glare.

The team looked shocked at this revelation, even the senior members. Batgirl and Robin weren't aware of how hard he had been pushing himself. Yeah they had known more than most but they hadn't known everything, Nightwing had purposely hidden it from them. The senior members felt a heavy burden settle in their chests, they had all been fighting amongst themselves while Nightwing had been trying to run the team. On top of that Kid Flash and Artemis had left ignoring Nightwing's silent attempts to stop them.

"I'm going to kill that idiot. He told us that he was getting plenty of rest and wasn't always patrolling Bludhaven." Batgirl glared into the distance causing the surrounding heroes to back away slightly in fear of her wrath. It didn't help that she started muttering about teaming up with. . .was that people called Spoiler and Black Bat?

"Where is he? I think it's about time we all finally talked." Aqualad had a determined look on his face that was mirrored by the rest of the team and Titans. Aqualad was right, it was time they finally talked, cleared the air and got the full story.

* * *

It hadn't taken them that long to find Nightwing as he had forgotten all about hiding from them, making it easier to see a dark silhouette against the setting sun, plus Red Hood knew his last location and they hadn't moved. However, as they came closer they saw another silhouette. Trying to determine who it was they had moved closer, only for both teams to discover Nightwing talking with the dark silhouette, Deathstroke himself. Silently they approached the pair who were deep in discussion. The wrong impression swiftly leapt into most of their heads.

As they get close enough they hear vague words about a deal, apprenticeship and training. Unfortunately this only encouraged the story they were forming in their heads which is the whole reason the next accident occurred, well next few.

All the heroes leapt to attack, having assumed either that Deathstroke was going to kidnap Nightwing or Nightwing had betrayed them. There was little to no organisation and strategy to the attack which caused complete chaos. Amongst this chaos Beast Boy and Red Hood fought their way to Nightwing who was defending himself from any stray blows that appeared, plus a few purposeful attacks.

That is when one of the first accidents happened. A stray shot appeared from an unknown person, hitting Nightwing in the leg causing him to become unbalanced as the pain resonated through his body, usually he had a pretty high pain tolerance but he was too exhausted and the shot had really hurt. As he was hunched over from shock Miss Martian hit into him, having been thrown away by someone else in the heat of battle.

They were too close to the edge though and the hit sent Nightwing falling unprepared and semi-unconscious off the building towards the ground, hundreds of metres bellow. A fall he wouldn't survive. All fighting halted as suddenly as it had begun, they all looked horrified over the edge of the building, knowing that he wouldn't be able to survive.

At once Red Hood, Beast Boy (as a falcon) and even Deathstroke flung themselves off the side of the building in the desperate hope of catching him, despite knowing it would be almost impossible. They angled their bodies trying to gain speed, trying to reach the falling hero, trying whilst knowing it was practically useless.

Milliseconds from hitting the ground two dark figures swooped in and grabbed the falling hero, preventing him from joining his parents in their fate. They skirted scarily close to the ground with the surprisingly light hero in the arms of the taller figure, thought the smaller kept a hand on the dazed and barely conscious hero as if making sure they had caught him. The pair swung back on to the rooftop followed by the three who had tried to save the hero. Facing the team who had varying states of emotion displayed on their faces.

Gently placing the young adult (now fully unconscious) on the rooftop, his rescuers stood up revealing the original Caped Crusader and yet another Robin. Though this Robin had a hood and the colour scheme was ever so slightly different. He also appeared quite young but he had clearly already mastered the art of the Bat glare as he displayed, by giving it to the group of heroes.

"Oh no." Red Hood's faint murmur was the only noise for a few minutes as the groups seemed to have a stare off. A 'tt' from the new Robin soon broke the silence. A nudge to the Bat made him break eye contact and speak.

"We came to investigate the number of heroes in the area and I see we were clearly needed. Explain." Batman demanded in his usual gruff tone standing protectively over Nightwing.

"There was an accident earlier which lead to us following Nightwing to Bludhaven and encountering Red Hood, with whom I believe you need to talk. We then found Nightwing and Deathstroke talking and engaged in a fight." Aqualad explained calmly trying to appease the angry Bat.

As Kaldur explained, Red Hood had taken his helmet off revealing who he was to the Bat. There was no way he would have gotten out of it without revealing something and maybe this would stop Nightwing whining at him so often. The tiny hints of shock could only be read by the Bats. Batman glided closer to Red Hood as if to check that he was really alive with a disgruntled Robin trailing behind him.

However, he had left Nightwing unguarded and no one was paying attention to him, too distracted with the reunion. Which gave Deathstroke all the opening he needed. He gently grabbed the unconscious hero bridal style and disappeared as quickly as he could. Leaping silently from the building to building and moving out of sight.

It was only a few seconds later when Robin, the one with Batman, pointed it out, though by this point it was too late as the pair had already vanished. The team glanced around desperately trying to find where the pair had gone, only to find nothing but the darkening sky. They couldn't stay around here much longer, it would be too dangerous for this large a group.

"Would someone please has explain who this new Robin is? Why there is a new Robin, he looks too young after all, and what is actually going on?!" Kid Flash exclaimed in the shocked silence. Glaring at the new Robin and Batman.

* * *

The first thing Nightwing saw as he slowly came back to consciousness was white. The kind of blinding white found only in hospitals or some med bays. As his eyes flickered open and finally stayed open he got a better idea of the room he was in. It was a med bay, there were a couple of extra beds, an X-Ray machine and many other medical supplies lying in various places around the room. Reaching up with a semi-numb arm he gladly found his usual domino mask was still in its usual place on his face.

It was the click of boots on a hard floor that alerted him to the other person in the room. Turning his head, which took a bit of effort, he found himself looking at a familiar one-eyed face. Deathstroke, well Slade, as he didn't have his mask on.

"I see you're finally awake." Slade stated.

Feeling tempted to roll his eyes, Nightwing wanted to say 'gee nah, I'm clearly still unconscious'. However, he decided it was just better to ask how long he had been out for and where he was. He was in too much pain and too tired to argue or even make any jokes at the moment, something that happened only rarely.

"Fourteen hours, it's morning and you're at one of my still secret and secure bases." Ok, that answered that. Thinking back Nightwing tried to remember why he was there. Wait, the suit, then the fight. Oh. He tried to move his leg and sit up only to almost loose his breath from the pain. Bad idea. Very bad idea.

"Carefully." Slade helped him sit up slowly, decreasing the pain slightly. When he looked down he found himself in a pair of joggers and a t-shirt, the thought of who had changed him crossed his mind before he decided he didn't want to know.

Sitting up, he slid his legs off the bed and pushed off, standing supported mainly by one leg. Slade shoved a pair of crutches into his hands while stating that the shot was severe and had damaged the bone, but thankfully hadn't permanently damaged any nerves. He would be a weak for a while but would eventually recover if he took care. Meaning he wouldn't be doing any of his extra curricular activities for some time. He abandoned the crutches, stubbornly, glaring at Slade before he could argue.

Following Slade, albeit at a slower pace, he hopped along being supported by Slade and leaning against any large enough objects nearby, they found their way to what looked like a kitchen/dining area. Once there he was taken aback by the people within it, although he didn't let it show. As expected there was Wintergreen, Slade's version of Agent A. However, more surprisingly there was also Jericho, Ravager, and Grant, though both Jericho and Ravager were out of costume so they were just Joey and Rose. All three were at the table chatting while Wintergreen was cooking.

He had known that the family had been trying to repair itself, especially with Adelaide, Slade's wife's death, but he hadn't known it had been working. Looking at Grant lounging at the table he was once again struck by the similarity of appearance between Grant and himself. He had asked Slade about it during one of their other meetings as he had wondered if that was why Slade had chosen him. He had replied with it being a factor.

Though he knew there was a large difference now. If he looked down he knew he would find a leg missing from the knee. Grant had gotten into a fight he couldn't win and came back too injured and lost his leg, nearly dying in the process. Slade stopped him from being a mercenary at least until he got back on his, excuse the pun, feet. Though the time had given him, well time to think and he had decided that wasn't what he wanted to do anymore.

Getting a smile from Grant, a short hello from Rose and a signed hello from Joey, he smiled back and replied with his own greeting. This wasn't the oddest situation he'd been in and he knew that Slade wasn't going to hurt him, after all they had just been talking about the deal. That was one of the last things he could remember clearly, as the fight had just been a blur.

* * *

**Fourteen Hours Earlier - Conversation between Deathstroke and Nightwing**

"I didn't rat out your friends to the Light, and I allowed that Martian to take my place during the Summit, as we agreed. It is your turn to fulfil your side of the deal." Deathstroke stated as he looked down at the young adult in front of him who looked back, his face expressionless.

"What do you want then?" Nightwing wasn't sure what else to say, he knew Deathstroke wouldn't harm him like he did the first time, over a few different apprenticeships they grew to. . . understand each other better, it also helped that Nightwing got on well with all three of his children.

"Training. You don't have to kill or even be my apprentice just training for three months. You can contact the heroes, if only to stop them coming after us. I won't ask for anything more at the moment."

Nightwing thought, he could always do with more training plus it wasn't the first time it had happened. Besides Deathstroke had kept his side of the deal, he couldn't very well back out now. "Alright, deal."

The pair shook hands and continued to talk about smaller details and had even gotten into a conversation about Deathstroke's children (Nightwing was the only person outside of the family that knew Grant was alive) when the teams had attacked, interrupting them.

* * *

**Back to the Present**

"-Wing, Nightwing. Nightwing!" Slade called him back to reality as everyone else watched on concerned. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just remembering what happened. By the way what happened after I blacked out?" Nightwing tried to steer the conversation away from his thoughts as his mind settled back in the present.

"The Martian was thrown into you, pushing you off the building. We weren't able to reach you in time, however Batman and a new Robin swung in and saved you. I grabbed you when they were distracted by that anti-hero, Red Hood." Slade raised an eyebrow at the quick changing of topic. He also had a curious look on his face about the new Robin. He may be curious, Nightwing thought, but he wasn't getting any answers yet.

Nightwing had to smile, that meant Jason had told Bats and the thought of Damian meeting the team was pretty funny. Then it turned into a frown, they will have thought that he had been kidnapped, well he technically had. He was about to ask for his communicator when Slade flung it in his direction, he only just caught it before it smacked him in the face.

"After breakfast." Slade demanded as Wintergreen put plates in front of everyone. Nightwing glanced at his communicator, it could wait till a bit later. After all he would need to think of answers to all the questions he would undoubtedly be asked.

* * *

After breakfast Nightwing was shown around the base by Joey and Rose, who explained further why they were with their dad when they used to hate him so much. They told him about their mother's deaths and Wintergreen asking them to give him a chance and of attempts to bond, some of which were quite amusing. He was able to walk on his own this time, though he did limp a bit. It helped he had taken some medicine for the pain.

As they walked around Nightwing could feel the weight of the communicator burning in his pocket. He knew he had to explain but he didn't want to face all the accusations that he undoubtedly would. After the Invasion everyone had been less trusting and more weary around him, even the League. When they had returned and everyone had explained what had happened they had looked at him in horror. He knew why, he had become like Batman, the person he had sworn he wouldn't become. He had broken that promise.

Nightwing had hated the very idea of the plan but had been unable to find any other option. Originally, it was going to be just him going undercover as Renegade, but after telling Aqualad the plan Kaldur had argued it would be better if he was the one that went. Nightwing despised himself for agreeing. It all went even further down hill when Kaldur had needed help, again he was prepared to go but once again Kaldur argued saying they couldn't loose two leaders, but how was losing Artemis any better? He had cried in his mind instead of giving into the temptation to scream it at Kaldur. Wally's face had been one of the worst parts though, the pure betrayal.

Throughout the whole event he had suffered breakdowns that he had hid from everyone. He had to be the leader for the team, strong for his family and brave for Kaldur and Artemis. It was all a mask. He knew it would have been better if he went undercover, they wouldn't be as sad or miss him as much. He hadn't earned it. Some days he had been tempted to run, run away from everything and go back to the circus, his home. Though he always stopped and reminded himself he didn't deserve happiness and he had to be there for everyone, be the shoulder to cry on.

He was always the shoulder to cry on since becoming Robin, especially with the addition of all of his family, but who was his shoulder? He thought it would be Bruce and for a while it had been but after taking Jason and all the others in they were more distant. The rest of his family didn't see it, claiming that he was the only one that Batman actually listened to and could get the Bat to do what he wanted. He knows he's manipulative, he always had been but until now it had been in a good way. Getting his brothers, sisters and Bruce to take care of themselves, helping Bruce seal a deal that no one else could get and helping the team, both teams.

Wally had once said to him his superpower was making friends. Nightwing didn't think he would agree with that statement any longer, no matter what he said Nightwing could see the underlying doubt and worry. He had an idea for something, something he had been planning for a while but it may be finally time to use it.

Nightwing was quickly awoken from his thoughts by a worried sounding Rose asking if he was okay. He replied saying he was fine, just tired. Fine. It didn't mean anything, everyone said it and only some meant it. Fine. Soon the trio found themselves in a lounge where Slade was waiting for them and Nightwing decided that the communicator could continue to wait a bit longer.

"Did you enjoy the tour?" Slade asked In full Deathstroke gear and mask in hand.

"It was very interesting. May I ask why you're in full gear?" Nightwing raised his eye at his . . . not mentor, trainer maybe.

"I have an important meeting and wanted you to come along as Renegade, my apprentice to see what is going on."

"Sure, who are we meeting?" He shrugged, why not. It would take his mind of the communicator in his pocket and give him a chance to keep an eye on Deathstroke.

"You'll see. Go get changed. Your costume is in your room, I hope you remember where it is from your tour." Deathstroke walked off with Joey and Rose following, both explaining they had to be going as they had placed to be and people to meet.

Rolling his eyes at the pair he trudged his way back to his room which he only vaguely remembered from the tour. He was proud to say he had only gotten lost a couple of times. On the black bed that sat in the centre of the bland room was his costume. It was the same as the one Beast Boy had found yesterday but with a bit more armour, perfectly hidden in the costume and light enough for his acrobatics. Admittedly it probably hadn't been the best place to hide the costume, Nightwing thought back to what had started all this as he changed to Renegade. He had thought less people would go near the hologram out of respect. Clearly he had been wrong.

Finishing changing he had a look in the full body mirror that was on one wall, he was now Renegade. Excitement unwillingly bubbled in his stomach, even though he hated what the suit represented he had always liked it secretly, though he still did love his Nightwing one as well. The adrenaline of crime was addictive even though he knew he should hate it, he hated himself for it. And Deathstroke was a brilliant trainer.

Finding his way back to Deathstroke he received a nod of acknowledgement before following him out of the base. They were driven by Wintergreen to a hidden base a few hours away, Renegade had little bearings to figure out where he was as they were in unfamiliar countryside the whole time and he had no clue where they had started.

Finally stopping they entered a very nicely decorated mansion which sat hidden in a valley. He could feel eyes watching him the entire time as they marched through the halls. They were lead into a meeting room, bland beige walls and a large wooden table with chairs surrounding it in the centre. On the other side of the table sat a very familiar person, Ra's Al Ghul.

The pair were told to sit down opposite him and the number of eyes watching them definitely increased, he was sure one of the walls was fake. Deathstroke swiftly introduced him as his apprentice Renegade and he nodded to Ra, not wanting to speak in case he was recognised.

Ra had liked him as Robin and even Nightwing. Though he had always had a soft spot for Robins it appeared. Between looking after him when he was younger (when Talia was dating Bruce) resurrecting Jason and help creating Damian, though he did train him to be an emotionless assassin but he did care, he was similar to Bruce ,sometimes it was hard for him to show it. Plus, he knew Ra kept an eye on Tim as well.

The meeting thankfully went quickly. Deathstroke and Ra discussed the Light and the Invasion. Which was quite awkward, especially when they talked about the Team. Kaldur and Artemis, especially. His own name was only mentioned a few times and he did his best not to react. They also discussed future ideas, well more hits the Light wanted Deathstroke to make or missions they wanted to achieve. Despite the awkwardness it had been a very interesting and informative meeting.

When it ended though Renegade felt like cheering, it had been incredibly awkward but he had been lucky they hadn't mentioned him - Renegade him anyway. He also hadn't been asked to speak which would have given him away pretty quickly.

"Renegade, will you be helping your mentor in these missions?" Renegade cursed his luck, of course he had jinxed himself. He was tempted to let Deathstroke reply but knew he wouldn't as Ra had specifically asked him.

Putting on his best Russian accent, in hopes of keeping his cover he replied, "If my mentor and the Light wishes." Try the diplomatic, neutral answer he thought, it should be safe. In his head he was also thanking Bruce for taking him to all those businesses meetings for the practise.

A slight up turn of the lips and nod was the only answer and the pair were allowed to leave, however Renegade had the sinking feeling that he had been unsuccessful in keeping his cover, hopefully Ra won't tell the rest of the Light though. This was getting dangerous.

On the long drive back to the base the pain from his wound came back, throbbing and causing a headache. The pain was intense but he was unwilling to admit defeat and ask for help, stubborn he knows. Putting his head against the door he tried to drown it out but only succeeded in falling unconscious, again.


	48. Old Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter - Nightwing meets up with some old friends.  
> This one is slower paced and set after the invasion but before my renegade chapter (there is a part 2 to that, the chapter after next).  
> Anyway, thanks for reading and please enjoy!  
> Robyn

When the new team (minus Robin and Batgirl who were apparently busy with family - something to do with a demon according to come vague mutters they had heard) happened upon Nightwing in civilian clothes and his signature sunglasses, strolling towards the door of the Hall of Justice they were suspicious. To be fair you couldn't blame them, after that had happened lately any slightly suspicious activity always appeared extremely strange. It didn't help that they were even more suspicious if the strange activity involved Nightwing. As hard as they were trying to get over what had happened during the invasion, they couldn't help the lingering thoughts. Him being in the Hall was also suspicious as he wasn't around often - as he had 'temporarily' left the team.

That said, it shouldn't come as a surprise to you on what they decided to do. Guessed yet? Yeah, they decided to follow him. After they had also changed into civilian clothing that is. Wonder Girl, Beast Boy, Guardian, Bumblebee, Guardian, Impulse, Blue Beetle and the newest member Static were transformed back to their normal selves Cassie, Garfield, Mal, Karen, Bart, Jaimie and Virgil. (They had decided La'gaan should stay behind in case they were needed and because he didn't have as good as control on his temper around Nightwing recently).

Following Nightwing turned out to be easier than expected, probably due to the fact that he wasn't expecting it. As they followed him into the centre of town, hiding behind something or pretending to look at this or that every time he turned around (maybe they weren't so great at following him after all). Though that is to be expected as most of their supposed 'stealth' missions ended with less stealth and more fighting.

Finally he seemed to reach his destination, a small café besides a green park. It had a view of a few kids playing, a family kicking a ball around, and an elderly couple sitting on a bench in the sun. Nightwing stopped, looked around as if he was scanning for something before turning to a table outside overlooking the park where three people already sat. He smiled, the kind of care free smile that they hadn't seen on him in months, before strolling over to join them the first girl waved in greeting as she saw him arrive, the other two were oblivious, stuck in a discussion.

The initial conversation was lost to the wind as the group of teenagers settled at a table (one in earshot but not too close) and took in the appearance of the three teenagers/young adults with their former leader. The first was a girl who looked to be in her early twenties who had her back to them. Her black hair went down her back in waves, she wore long boots and a blue skirt. Her t-shirt had the Wonder Woman logo on a red background.

The other girl faced them, she had shoulder length brown hair and they could see her emerald eyes shinning as she talked. She wore a short red dress and golden boots. Her hands waved in the air as she explained something to her companion with a grin on her face.

The last person was a boy with short black hair. His face was turned away in what appeared to be an argument with the second girl. He had a pair of jeans on and a light blue t-shirt with an undiscernible design.

Garfield turned to his teammates with his head tilted. "Emmm, anyone have any clue who they are?" The rest of the group looked back at him with confusion apart from Cassie whose eyes had widened comically and Karen whose face had scrunched up in concentration, as if she was trying to place where she had seen them.

"I don't know about the other two but the girl with the long black hair is Donna Troy also known as Troia. She's Wonder Woman's sister and the first Wonder Girl. She was on the team for a while I think." The team looked back at the now named Donna considering.

"Wait, if she was on the team do you think the other two were at one point as well? Who else was there apart from the originals?" Virgil guessed turning to look at the more senior members of the team, he'd only ever really heard of the originals.

"There's Zatanna, Rocket, Tempest and. . . Aquagirl. I can't remember anyone else." Jamie counted on his fingers, eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

The group looked at Bart as he tapped his fingers against the table at speed. "Don't look at me, I've told you before I was never good at history." Bart held his hands adding to his whole message of 'don't ask me'. He knew the main heroes but some of the smaller time ones he'd never heard of.

"Nightwing vaguely mentioned someone called Tarantula once, but he had a troubled look on his face that makes me think she was nothing good." Mal added to the conversation, drawing the group's attention away from Bart. Karen was still deep in thought, she could swear she knew the other two.

"Wait! That's it! I think they're Lieutenant Marvel and Sergeant Marvel aka Freddy Freeman and Mary Bromfield." Karen announced loudly, thankfully though no one in the area seemed to hear.

"Why are they all meeting up? Are they planning something or teaming up or-." Garfield ranted, eyes wide and hands waving in the air.

"Gar, I think they may just be having a reunion or meeting up as friends." Karen raised an eyebrow as a smile tugged at her lips. "He still meets up with many of the Titans as well." The smile stretched across her face at the small 'Oh' she got in reply.

"If that is the case hermanos, then maybe we should leave them in peace." Jamie suggested starting to feel slightly guilty for following their former leader. He wasn't up to anything suspicious but they kept suspecting him and had followed him as he met up with friends. This was none of their business.

With nods of agreement from everyone, the teens quietly slid off their seats and started the journey back to the Hall of Justice. (None of them ever brought it up or told Nightwing, they decided he needed some privacy and anything or anyone that could put a smile, a real smile, back on his face was worth keeping the secret for).

* * *

**With Nightwing**

Seeing his old teammates for the first time in months brought a smile to his face. Strolling to the table and sliding into a seat he called a couple greetings before leaning back against the seat. Listening to Mary and Freddy argue, what about he didn't know nor care, brought a warm feeling to his stomach, one that he hadn't felt in some time.

Sharing a grin with Donna he interrupted the friends with a cough and raised eyebrow. "Sorry to interrupt, but I'd like to know what you've been up to lately. As nice as your arguing is I think I've heard enough of it before." He smirked as the pair froze realising he was there for the first time. Donna tried to cover a laugh at their expressions before surrendering to it.

"Hey Dick, it's great to see you. We've only heard vague rumours about what happened during the invasion but it did not sound like a fun time. Sorry we weren't around to help." Freddy broke free of his stunned expression to greet his friend with a blinding grin.

"Yeah, we were busy sorting some stuff out but I'm sure you don't want to talk about that. Hey Donna, what have you been up to lately?" Mary noticed the way his smile seemed to disappear and his shoulders sagged at the mention of the invasion and decided it would be better to move the conversation away swiftly, sending looks to her friends hoping to convey the message.

The conversation carried on moving from topic to topic, the old friends enjoying the time together. They may have left the team but it didn't mean they weren't still teammates or friends. They had invited some of the other original team members, ones that had still been there at the time anyway, but they all had other arrangements. They were still happy to meet up with Nightwing though, it had been far too long.

Eventually the topic came onto family, more specifically Dick's growing family. "Hey, Dick. I heard something about another brother, care to share?" Freddy asked leaning forward on the table, eyebrow raised. Dick's family was always an interesting topic, there were usually wild stories around the siblings.

Reluctantly he answered after seeing the girls' curious looks as well, besides they deserved to know. "Yeah, Damian. He's Bruce and Talia Al Ghul's son. Since B was away for the trial I've been looking after him, Tim, Cass and Steph, with Alfred's help of course." Hesitating he looked at the curious faces of his friends. No, they deserved to know, he was their teammate as well after all. Sighing he continued. "There's something else you should know. Jason's alive."

He stopped letting that info sink in. It didn't take long before he was being pelted with all sorts of questions ranging from how to when. "I know it sounds crazy, but yes it's true. Ra brought him back with the Lazarus pits. It drove him crazy for a while but he's getting better, I think. He's different to how he was before and he's an anti-hero now, Red Hood, but he's still Jason."

After answering a few more questions they silently decided to once again change topics to something safer, though it didn't mean the topic left their minds. They spent the time recounting old missions and pranks, thinking back on happier moments from the past (and skirting around darker, heavier topics).

The conversation once again carried on, right into the afternoon until Freddy and Mary declared they had to be going. Saying goodbye included lots of hugs and promises to see each other soon, until they were gone just leaving Donna and Dick at the café table.

"It was good to see them again." Donna stated a few minutes after the pair had vanished from sight, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen between the pair.

"Yeah." Dick vacantly replied watching a mother and father throw a Frisbee with a little boy of about seven in the park, the giggling of the young boy as he leapt to catch it brought a sentimental smile to his face.

"It's good to see you again too." Drawing his attention to her she gave a small smile. "I know it's been hard for you lately but if you ever need help or anything, we're here. You know that right?" She carried on, not waiting for a reply. "Someone once said that your superpower is your ability to make friends with almost anyone and they were right. You have lots of friends, please if you need any of us just say. You can't do everything alone no matter how strong you are or however much you want to protect us." With that she smiled and waved goodbye before leaving the café.

Dick sat there for a few minutes in stunned silence before seeming to shake out of it and lift himself out of his seat. He walked through the park, watching the families as he made his way to the nearest zeta-beam to take him home.

Donna was right. Things had been hard lately between hero work, his siblings, school work and Wayne Tech. He had been struggling to juggle it all and quietly looked forward to being able to go back to Bludhaven as Nightwing without any other responsibilities. Don't get him wrong, he loved his siblings and teammates but they were all far too difficult to deal with sometimes, especially his brothers who always seemed to be fighting.

He'd thought with the invasion over and Bruce back things would return to normal, but everyone had seemed to get even crazier. That's why he'd left the team for a while, as well as his guilt of course. Mentally shrugging he continued his way home, for now he just had to deal with everything as it came.

Maybe he should see if Donna was right in the friends aspect. Go visit or get back in contact with friends, get away from everything for a while. He didn't know why but he had this sinking feeling in his stomach, something big was coming. He didn't known when or even what but it didn't feel like it would be anything good. Maybe it's about time he started doing some more training, get his skills back on point and chase up some old allies for whenever it was came.

He finally reached and entered the manor as he made up his mind. Yes, that's what he'd do. Until then however, he stopped as he came across his brothers fighting, he needed to be a big brother and stop his brothers fighting before they either killed each other or destroyed some priceless artefact (again). Oh, how much simpler being an only child had been. Laughing at his brothers' weird tangle of limbs that they had ended up in as they fought, he decided he wouldn't change them for the world, however much they sometimes annoyed him.


	49. The Bat Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter - the team meets the last few members of the Bat Family (and we get more Nightwing angst as he is still really struggling).  
> This is set after season two and after my renegade chapter a well. Tensions are still high.  
> Next chapter is Renegade part 2.  
> Also WARNING: Nightwing really isn't alright and is vaguely suicidal (it isn't mentioned but it's implied) so sorry if that triggers you.  
> Anyway, thanks for reading and hope you enjoy!  
> Robyn

The trouble started with Batman. More specifically Batman being off world, leaving Nightwing to once again balance his civilian life, the team, and duties as Nightwing. It didn't help that it had been chaos in Gotham for the past week as there had been a breakout at Arkham which led to Nightwing almost collapsing until Agent A called in some help. He had been running himself thin again and Alfred had finally had enough off it and put his foot down.

That help meant his younger brothers and sisters. The siblings that tended to cause more chaos and disasters then half the villains they faced, though they were better than the Arkham break out, well just. However, when the Bat Cave received an emergency call from the team it wasn't really the best time. Nightwing was currently bleeding from a couple bullet wounds and stab marks, plus he was suffering from burns due to an explosion that he'd narrowly escaped from.

Grudgingly it was decided however, they couldn't avoid it and someone would have to go. Nightwing was pretty much out of the question due to his injuries and (Red) Robin was currently passed out from exhaustion on the floor (with Jason sniggering and prodding the sleepy bird with his foot every so often). Alfred was keeping an eye on the injured pair, having already drugged Nightwing unconscious so he wouldn't try and answer the call anyway. Cass and Steph were out of the question as they were currently chasing a lead about a former (and hopefully future) inmate of Arkham. Barbara couldn't even be sent as she was out of town with her dad.

So Jason and Damian grudgingly decided while the two birds were unconscious, that they would take their brother's places and see what the team wanted. Getting changed; Jason as Red Hood and Damian in his own version of the Robin costume, they glanced at the unconscious birds before nodding at each other and entering the zeta-tubes that would take them to the team. The team better be ready for the surprise coming their way.

The team on the other hand, were currently experiencing problems with a group of thugs in Happy Harbour. Not far from the site of the currently in-construction Mount Justice. Despite being far more skilled the group of tired heroes were outnumbered and had been caught unaware when they had been visiting Mount Justice to see the progress of the rebuilding effort. Fearing they were about to be taken out Beast Boy had pressed his emergency call button that would usually summon Batman but with him being off-world it would hopefully warn the closest person - Nightwing. Robin and Batgirl would also be appreciated but they knew they were busy either away or with the breakout in Gotham, which was why they weren't there with the team in the first place.

Unfortunately for them no help had come, leaving them to be overtaken and tied up, by thugs no less, how embarrassing. Any time they tried to even mouth a word to each other a thug would appear threateningly. The team was unlucky they didn't have any senior members with them, it was just the younger members - Beast Boy, Lagoon Boy, Wonder Girl, Blue Beetle, Impulse, Guardian, Bumblebee and Static. With no Miss Martian it meant there was no mind link to make communication easier.

Waiting for whatever the group of thugs were going to do to them, was the only thing they were able to do. As any plan the group thought of was immediately trashed by their capturers. They just had to hope someone appeared to help them when they didn't make it home when they were supposed to. In the mean time they could at least listen in to the group to see if they could determine a plan that would actually work.

It was at that moment that the lights went off, plunging the room they were being held in into darkness. The only light was a series of flashes that appeared with rapid gunfire that echoed across the room. Someone had arrived and were taking out the thugs, whether they were there to help them the team didn't know, but they were hopeful. The pattern of attacks, the operating out of the shadows was usually the Bat Clan's mode of attack.

It wasn't long before the screams of the thugs were cut off, alongside the gunfire and what sounded suspiciously like a sword swinging and hitting flesh stopped. There was a silent pause that seemed to last for hours until the lights flashed back on. Blinking as their eyes slowly adjusted back to the light they were faced with two figures standing above them, looking smugly. One seemed to be a young boy in a version of Robin's costume, the most prominent difference being a hood. The other was an older teen wearing hat looked like a red bucket as a mask.

The two boys swiftly got to work untying the younger heroes. The awkward silence lasted until the group were finally on their feet, rubbing their sore wrists. Warily the team took fighting stances despite knowing they wouldn't win and that their two rescuers wouldn't have freed them if they were going to attack. Then they relaxed, having finally recognised the pair from the fiasco with Nightwing an Deathstroke, several months ago.

"Wait ,you're Red Hood and the new Robin. Nightwing and our Robin's brothers." Wonder Girl exclaimed pointing at the pair in realisation, they had definitely not been the Bat Family members they expected to rescue them.

"Eh, no offence but ah, what are you doing here?" Guardian asked awkwardly. They really didn't know much about the pair, but they were definitely on the darker side of the law, even for the Bat Family.

"Unfortunately, Goldie and the Replacement are a bit preoccupied. So we decided to be nice and help-" (Red Hood ignored Robin's mutter of "that's a first") "- you out. You should be grateful these thugs work for Luthor and had orders to capture heroes and bring them to him. I think that's something you would rather avoid." Red Hood's crossed armed glare was met with a few gulps and nods, Luthor could be dangerous.

"What do you mean about Nightwing and Robin being preoccupied?" Bumblebee narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the two more dangerous members of the Bat family (admittedly they were all very dangerous but these two were more prone to caring less about people).

"Chill, we've done nothing to them. Replacement is simply passed out from exhaustion and Goldie is recovering from some wounds. There was a breakout at Arkham and the week has been pretty chaotic, Nightwing was looking after it but eventually called us all in after Agent A pressured him. Hadn't you wondered why you hadn't seen any of them for a while?" Red Hood scoffed.

"What great friends you are." Robin muttered sarcastically. It was no secret, at least amongst the Bat family, that Damian disliked the team. Not that any member particularly liked them apart from Nightwing, Red Robin and Batgirl (who admittedly disliked some of them), and Jason (also only some of them) but that was mainly due to everything that had occurred during the invasion.

"Em, I don't want to interrupt but we've been missing for a few more hours than we intended to be gone. People will be worried, so we may want to get back to the Watch Tower." Beast Boy pointed out hesitantly. Quickly agreeing (apart from the two Bats, who took a bit longer to convince before grudgingly agreeing to go back with them) the group made their way back to the Watch Tower.

When they arrived they had just collapsed in the main room after having finished facing the Leaguers on duty (and how much fun explaining everything that had happened had been - there had been lots of shouting) when the zeta-beams lit up announcing the arrival of Nightwing, Red Robin, Black Bat and Spoiler.

Nightwing limped in with the rest of his younger siblings following exasperated. It had obviously taken some convincing for them to allow him to come and they still didn't appear to like the fact that he was here. Despite what most people thought about Nightwing he was surprisingly good at manipulating people and he often had to use this talent on his family, allowing him to practise those skills and improve them.

Entering he immediately set off shouting worriedly. "Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash have you seen Red Hood and Robin? They vanished and they're not in Gotham or any of their usual hide outs-." He stopped suddenly upon seeing not only his missing younger brothers but the rest of the new team as well. He'd woken up after Alfred's drugs wore off and immediately noticed his siblings missing. He'd argued the rest of his sibling's into submission, pulling the older brother card and convinced them to help him find them. Cas and Steph had finished with their clue hunt and put the missing Arkham prisoner back where they belonged so they'd reluctantly been dragged along. Protesting Nightwing moving as he was still badly injured, but he was worried. Damian was still young and both he and Jason could cause all sorts of trouble if left unattended for too long.

Turning to start shouting at them he promptly collapsed to the floor groaning. Red Robin rushed forward to grab his eldest brother. Mumbling something incoherent Nightwing rubbed his chest where the majority of his injuries were. Red Robin started berating him for moving as he should have still been relaxing in bed (this delighted their other brothers' as he wasn't often told off).

"Hey Goldie what you doing out of bed? And really Replacement? What did he bribe you with to let him come?" Red Hood sneered as he watched Red Robin help Nightwing to a nearby seat, while Black Bat and Spoiler followed watching the pair in case they were needed.

"Be nice to your brother Jay Bird." Nightwing mumbled as he waved off Wonder Women when she tried to look over his injuries, worried.

The new team stood to the side watching the exchange confused, especially regarding the two girls who had followed the known Bat Clan members. Stepping forward Static paused as if he was having a mental debate with himself before seemingly gathering his nerves and asking his question. "Em, who are you? I mean, erm I known Nightwing and Robin, eh our Robin. I also vaguely know Red Hood and the smaller Robin but eh, yeah eh-" He trailed off awkwardly. Blushing he retreated to hide behind Lagoon Boy.

"Well done." The smaller Robin snarled mockingly.

"Be nice Robin. Ignore them Static." Nightwing stood up trying to hide the pain but failing. Ignoring the concern looks from his siblings (even the hidden ones from Red Hood and Robin) he moved towards the three boys. "You've met Red Hood, he was the second Robin, and your Robin is more commonly known as Red Robin in Gotham. Robin, or the smaller Robin as you call him, is still in training but allowed out with supervision. Stop glaring little Wing." Despite being told not to glare the youngest member continued to do so.

He moved closer to the unknown pair of girls. The first wore a purple skin tight costume with a matching cape and hood. The gloves, boots and belt were all black alongside the mask which had a lighter area for the mask and white slits for eyes. "This is Spoiler, she was the fourth Robin and third Batgirl. Said girl nodded to them and the team got the feeling she was smiling despite not being able to see through her mask.

He moved to the other girl who wore a skin tight black costume and cape similar to Batman's. She had her hood down revealing choppy shore black hair and a mask covering her eyes that went into sharp points upwards on either side. "This is Black Bat, she was the second Batgirl. She's also on the rota for Titans East." The girl waved awkwardly with her lips tilting up in a vague smile.

"It's nice to meet the both of you." Impulse bounced forward with a mysterious grin on his face that left Nightwing with the feeling that he knew something about them, seeing as he came from the future that was probably true.

"Oh, so these are more members of the mysterious Bat Family. Are they as trust worthy as Nightwing? Going to stab us in the backs after putting our lives in danger?" Lagoon Boy sneered.

"Why you -!"

"Don't you dare-"

"You little-"

"I'll kill-"

"Lagoon Boy-"

The Bats all cried out in protest (apart from Black Bat who just stepped closer and glared). Even some of the team protested or at least turned to glare at the offender.

"Quiet." Nightwing's voice echoed and no one could deny the resigned tone. He had moved closer to the team and grimaced in a mixture of physical and mental pain.

"You may be hurt by what I did La'gaan but don't bring my siblings into it. They have nothing to do with any of this. I don't know what to say for you to accept that I never meant to hurt any of you and I regret the plan but it was the only option available. What more can I say or do to prove that to you?"

"You can actually mean it! You don't let it affect you and are constantly having others fight your battle. I looked up to you! Then you betrayed us! You could have trusted us with your plan. Or did you not think we could handle it? You never trusted us!" Lagoon Boy seemed to be close to breaking down as he screamed, pointing as he shook. He'd never actually voiced his thoughts and everything was suddenly coming out, a lot more emotionally charged than he though.

"Of course I trusted you La'gaan. The idea wasn't mine originally. We thought the more people involved would lead to disaster, it was never the case of trust. I'm sorry, really sorry if it appeared as if I didn't trust you. Aqualad, Kid Flash, Artemis and I are more used to villains and torture. We feared that if they discovered something was wrong they would torture you, the less people that knew the less people pulling their punches for them to see. I've already left the team and I'm only here for my brothers. I'm sorry." At this point even Nightwing was fighting tears as he backed away from the distressed Atlantian before dashing back to the Zeta-beam and vanishing.

"Really Fish Boy! 'Wing has had enough problems with dealing with the invasion without you adding to his guilt. We've told you before how much he was juggling beside the team. He left the team, the team he helped start, because of the guilt you have forced on to him. Stop being a jerk, fishy." Red Hood glared at Lagoon Boy before glaring at the team as well. Turning to his siblings he continued "We're leaving." With that the team was left standing with a few Leaguers equally confused and ashamed.

* * *

**With Nightwing**

Flipping over the tops of the familiar buildings of Bludhaven (ignoring the pain that it caused him), Nightwing allowed his thoughts to wander. Was it worth it? Had he made the right choice? Was Lagoon Boy right? Sighing he balanced on the edge of a particularly tall building ignoring the rain as it drizzled down. The team had finally met more of the Bat Family, and hadn't that gone well? He thought cynically. Sometimes he wondered what would have happened if he had never become Robin. The world probably would have been better off.

His thoughts swirled deeper as the rain came down heavier soaking him through. If he didn't find cover soon he'd probably get sick, yet he still didn't move allowing himself to balanced precariously on the edge. In the distance he could see figures that appeared to dance over the buildings, his brothers and sisters. That was another point they thought he was weak because of how much he cared and how he acted at home, like a child. They didn't see the truth and they cared, he knew they did but sometimes-.

Turning from the figures in the distance he made his way back to his dark apartment, pulling off his costume and throwing it into the back of the broken wardrobe he stood in the shower letting the cold water pour over his face and clear his clouded mind. He'd deal with everything tomorrow but for now he could hear his bed and sleep calling him.


	50. Renegade Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter - part two of my renegade arc. It is set three months after the first part and starts with Nightwing's first day free of the deal. It is more a reaction fic and him dealing with things than action-filled apprenticeship stuff (so sorry).  
> It's angsty but also hurt/comfort I think.  
> WARNING: Tarantula is mentioned, not any details or anything, but for those that know what I am talking about it is briefly thought about.  
> I will post the last chapter tomorrow.  
> Please let me know what you think!  
> Thanks for reading and please enjoy!  
> Robyn

Seeing the outside world for the first time in three months made Nightwing stop to stare at the faint stars in the night sky and nearly invisible moon barely visible above the smoke and pollution of the city. He'd spent most of the three months inside, with only brief trips to meetings where he spent the whole time in a car. Standing on a rooftop in Bludhaven he celebrated the feeling of freedom for several moments before leaping away across the night, revelling in the rush of the wind in his hair and adrenalin in his veins as he flew through the sky where he felt most at home. It wasn't too late yet, he still had time to see what had been going down in his city in his absence, put some of his new skills and training into practise.

Slipping into his apartment after his first night back fighting crime he collapsed on his bed with a smile, one of the first to actually reach his eyes in quite some time. He knew he'd have to deal with the hero community and his family shortly, his return would no doubt be on the news and that would lead them back to him.

For now though, he was just going to enjoy the peace. Rolling off his creaky bed and strolling to his wardrobe to pull on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, throwing his Nightwing costume to the back in a pile to be dealt with properly later. He wandered to the kitchen with his mismatched sock covered feet barely leaving the ground, he opened a cupboard to find a box of cereal and a pack of cookies but other than that they were sorely lacking in food. Opening the fridge he found it contained some severely out of date milk (which instantly went down the drain) and eggs. It had been three months ad even before that he'd been so busy everywhere else he hadn't really been staying in his apartment much.

Shrugging he grabbed the box of cereal from the cupboard and grabbed a handful as he stumbled onto a chair in the tiny living room area attached to the kitchen, making a mental note to go shopping tomorrow. The old tv barely worked but he enjoyed the nonsense of whatever was on, as he shovelled dry cereal into his mouth, sitting cross legged on the chair. The normalcy was refreshing and he wanted to enjoy some time on his own before anything else.

He slipped into a light sleep barely an hour later with the box of cereal abandoned at the foot of the chair he was curled up on. He'd regret it in the morning, it wasn't a comfortable sleeping position and he wasn't getting any younger but for now everything was better. Not perfect, not good or even okay, just better.

* * *

It was in fact three days later when the first hero showed up at his door. It had taken them (far) longer than he had expected, and it wasn't the person or rather people he had expected to appear first. He hadn't done much in those three days apart from shopping and a visit to the BCPD to ask about applying for a job. He'd spent the days exploring the city and lounging around his tiny apartment enjoying the time to himself. He spent the nights getting back into the swing of fighting crime, putting all his training to good use as e tried to bring the rate of crime back under some semblance of control.

The door bell had rung in the early afternoon, and after spending a minute debating if he really wanted to (and, honestly, could be bothered to move from his comfortable spot) open the door he reluctantly trudged over and did so, schooling his face into a neutral look. He swung it open just as the people on the other side rung the bell for a second time. He took a moment to just stare at the unexpected faces, they did the same, inspecting him for what he didn't know (yes he did, injuries or the like but he didn't want to admit that).

The first people he thought would show up were either Bruce or his siblings, though he had known that the people standing at the door would show up sooner or later. He just hadn't expected them to be the first to visit. He wasn't quite prepared for them, all the speeches he'd practised in the (dirty and cracked) mirror were aimed at Bruce and his siblings.

"Are you going to let us in or are we going to just stand here forever?" Wally West asked with a shy smile gracing his face. Dick could read under the lines though, this was a peace offering. They just wanted to talk. They, being Wally and the two familiar faces beside him - Conner and Kaldur. Again, not the trio he had expected. If he was honest he would have thought that Wally and Artemis would come as a pair.

Opening the door wider he allowed them to move past him into his apartment. He took a glance outside to look for anyone watching, upon seeing nothing he shut the door almost silently. Walking to where his guests had settled in the cramped living room almost mechanically he crossed his arms and looked at the wooden floor. His apartment really hadn't been designed to host this many people. Silence blanketed the place, no one quite sure what to say or how to word it.

"So, this is awkward."

"What Wally is attempting and failing to put into words is we want to know why. And more details about, well just everything I guess. We know we haven't been the best with everything that has happened lately, but we're here now if that means anything at all." Conner explained from his place on the only sofa where the three sat squished together. It would normally be an entertaining sight, the three of them squashed together but the mood was too tense to properly enjoy it.

Dick collapsed onto the armchair facing the sofa like his legs could no longer hold his weight and suddenly floods of words poured out. Sometimes they made no sense and he paused at random moments attempting to gather his thoughts. The three boys just listened and smiled to encourage him when they though he needed it.

He told them more about his Titan years, how he'd met Slade and the fights and apprenticeships. He told them about returning and his brothers, the fights with Bruce and moving to Bludhaven. He told them about his struggles during the Invasion and the deal with Slade in return for his silence. He told them things he had never said out loud to anyone and at the end warm tears streamed down his face leaving red marks scarring his cheeks. It felt like a small weight had finally been removed from his heart, he was better, but there was still more weighing him down, but this was progress. When he finished they sat in silence for several minutes while they registered all that had been said.

Then the three witnesses moved forward slowly, as if afraid to spook the youngest, and drew him into a hug, a hug that said everything without words. A hug that provided warmth and comfort between the four brothers. It had been a long time since they had acted like the family they were, and they hadn't been there for each other in a long time and they all regretted that. There was nothing they could do about the past, all they could do was move forwards and try to breach the gap that had spread between them all.

"All those years ago, the three of us and Roy were told we would see the League's headquarters in preparation of becoming members of the Justice League but all they gave us was a glorified tour of their public headquarters used as a decoy for the Watch Tower. Roy walked out and then our mentors left us. We snuck out, disobeying orders and found Conner at Cadmus breaking him out and befriending him. We proved ourselves. We made a stand that night and formed a team, the team. We made promises as a team and as a family." Kaldur glanced at his three brothers who listened to every word before continuing, "lately we haven't followed those promises and it's about time that changed. We trust each other and are here for each other no matter what."

The three stayed for the rest of the afternoon, watching old movies and talking of the past. Voicing things they should have said years ago, jumping between long periods of comfortable silence and endless rants of words. They were a family and it was time they started acting like one. When the three boys, now men, finally left late that evening, Nightwing went on patrol with a genuine smile splitting his face.

* * *

When no one else had shown up four days later, he decided to stop hiding or as he had taken to calling it; mentally preparing himself and getting himself back into a normal routine (though he was still lying to himself). He knew he would never be ready and he just needed to take that leap or he would never do it, widening the pit of darkness and suppressed emotions that was threatening to swallow him whole.

The decision on who to visit first was hard. Should he go see the Titans (because they definitely needed an explanation), the team (again really need an explanation) or his family that had affectionately been dubbed the Bat Family? He didn't want to know how his siblings would react, let alone Bruce. Not that half of them could talk, half of them were former assassins or currently anti heroes.

After spending a day debating (which included sitting and lying in various and often odd positions around his apartment) he decided on his family first. Get the most painful one out the way first (and he meant physically painful not mental knowing his brothers). After that he'd deal with both teams, when he knew what to say to them.

* * *

The next day he started on his 'explanation list' as he had started to call it. Staring up at Wayne manor from behind the gate for the first time in three months stirred a daunting feeling in the pit of his stomach and he resisted the rather compelling urge to turn around and not deal with the chaos he knew his return would inevitably cause.

Taking a deep breath he steeled his nerves. He went up to the com next to the gate pressing the button with shaky hands he heard a familiar voice answer.

"Yes?" Hearing Alfred's voice was like being dunked in an ocean of nostalgia and he couldn't help the small smile light up his face.

"Hey Alfie. It's me, em, Dick. I wanted to talk and em explain-."

His rambling was cut off by the com going silent and the gate opening allowing him to enter. Slipping past the gate he marched up the driveway determinedly, knowing if he looked back at the closing gate he'd loose all the confidence he had gathered. No backing out now.

The door to his old home swung open and he was engulfed in a hug as soon as he stepped into the grand entrance hall. In his surprised it took him a few seconds before he hugged back, glad to be in the familiar arms of his grandfather figure. He'd always been a touchy-feely kind of person, probably from growing up in a circus where he was just passed around and constantly in contact with people, the transition to the large and rather empty manor had been a shock to his system. Neither Alfred or Bruce had been exactly been touchy-feely like he had and it had taken a while for them to all adjust. Still there was little better than Alfred's rare hugs.

"It is great to hear your voice again Master Richard. I'm glad you've finally come home." And didn't that make him want to cry.

Dick was released from his hug and given a quick glance over before he was shepherded into the main room to wait while Alfred collected the rest of the family who had been staying in the mansion for the time being. It wasn't often that everyone was around these days, all busy with their own stuff but he knew going to the manor was the best place to start. He'd figured he'd deal with anyone who wasn't there later but clearly that wasn't going to be an issue.

He stood in the main room one hand rubbing the opposite arm as he shifted legs awkwardly, impatient for this to all be over. He allowed his mind to wander on what they would all think of him, running off with a villain for three months. Although, to be fair to himself (for once) it wasn't as bad as some of the stuff his siblings had done - one of which had died and came back slightly more psychotic, and two who were raised as assassins. Not that he blamed any of them, it hadn't been their choice in upbringing or choice to die.

He was broken out of his wandering thoughts when he heard the thunder of footsteps coming down the stairs and chatter coming from a few rooms over. Then the arguing came into hearing range, a small grin found its way onto his face as the nostalgia came over him, his brothers were always arguing and occasionally brought his sisters into it as well. The topics were always inane, completely pointless but that was normal with siblings.

As he stood facing a window opposite the door, taking in the details to distract himself from the upcoming confrontation, he heard a familiar voice. "Tt, why does Pennyworth even want us all in the main room anyway?" The grin widened at the familiar superior voice made its way along the corridor to him.

He hadn't realised how close the voices had gotten, still focused on the window, until he heard the gasps and sudden halt in conversation that signalled they had noticed his presence. The smile was wiped off his face in an instant as he whipped around to face his sisters, who had appeared at the door first. His brothers swiftly joined them looking to see what had surprised them and joined them in just staring at him. Bruce appeared last with Alfred, who smiled at Dick reassuringly, before leaving the rest of the family to get reacquainted. Dick wasn't stupid, while Alfred may have disappeared from sight he was absolutely still in hearing distance, ready to intervene if things got out of control.

The shocked faces staring a him would have been comedic if not for the suffocating silence that accompanied them. The visible shock was impressive, he knew his appearance had really shocked them to the core as normally they were all far better at controlling the emotions they displayed. It had been one of the first things they were all taught - how to school your face to hide your true emotions.

Feeling incredibly awkward he shuffled from foot to foot, before giving an awkward smile and a little wave muttering a 'hi'. Feeling a bit stupid he let his arms fall down to his side and his gaze followed. He was waiting for the shouting, screaming and the threats, maybe even some punches from his siblings. They were usually quick to fall to violence with each other.

He was surprised to suddenly be enclosed in Bruce's giant arms instead of being hit. He tensed before relaxing into the comforting familiarity of his father figure's embrace. He watched with confused eyes as his siblings followed their father and surged closer but didn't join the hug. The pair pulled out of the hug and Bruce held his eldest son at arms length smiling.

"How about we all sit down to have this conversation." Bruce may have phased it as a question but it was clear that it was a command. Glancing at each other they all shuffled into the family lounge before settling down onto various chairs and sofas around the room. Dick settled in armchair but remained tense with his fingers tapping against the arm.

"Emm, how about - emm. I don't know how to explain anything. Maybe? Ermm." Stopping he took a breath and tried again. "How about you ask questions and I'll do my best to explain whatever you want to know. I really don't know how to explain or where to start."

The Bats all glanced around as if to see who would ask the first question. "Why did you go with Deathstroke?" Surprisingly it was Tim who asked the question staring at his eldest brother with unusually hard eyes.

"Well certainly going straight to the hard stuff, huh?" Dick attempted to joke before seeing the glares he was getting, sighing he continued. "I'm sorry you guys deserve answers. Back when I was a Titan this new villain showed up, he attacked randomly but strategically. He was skilled in a way we weren't used to. We found out his name was Slade but you know him better as Deathstroke. One day he kidnapped me then injected my teammates with these nanobots things that would kill them if I disobeyed. Apparently his attacks had been a test, he wanted an apprentice and he had decided I was the perfect candidate." He gave a self-depreciating snort.

He paused to take a breath not meeting the intense eyes of his family, "We managed to fight and free ourselves from his control but I became obsessed. He attacked again and there was this whole thing with Terra, but anyway. After I left the Titans he found me a few times and we came to a mutual agreement, he could train me but he wouldn't make me kill or steal."

He smiled slightly. "When Kaldur went undercover and reported seeing Deathstroke I panicked slightly before realising he would have no way of knowing Kaldur hadn't truly swapped sides. Then Artemis went under and he recognised her. He quickly figured out what had happened, so he found me and offered a deal. He wouldn't reveal them and later allow Kaldur to beat him in a fight so M'gann could take his place in the Summit. In return I would go with him for three months, complete some training away from you all. The usual deal. I thought after the invasion no one would notice me disappear at least for a while and agreed. That's what you caught us doing that night on the rooftop anyway, I was about to leave with him."

He finished his story and waited for a reaction, refusing to look up and face his family.

"Why did you think we wouldn't notice your disappearance?" It was Barbara who asked drawing his eyes to her questioning but ultimately sympathetic eyes. Glancing around he saw similar looks mirrored in the eyes of the rest of his family as well as some other emotions like sadness and anger - at who he didn't know but he hoped it wasn't him. They understood his reasons, didn't mean they had to like them, but they understood them, plus he was an adult now. He could make his own life choices no matter how terrible they were.

"I just kind of assumed. After all, the team was so angry about everything from the invasion and I thought you would all be so happy to have Bruce back that you wouldn't notice me not being here. I figured Damian, Tim, Steph and Cass, especially would be glad to be out of my care." Dick shrugged, a self-depreciating smile on his face. He hadn't really thought on it much, in his mind he hadn't needed to, he just thought they wouldn't notice. He would have disappeared back to Bludhaven and it wasn't often his siblings came up to visit him normally, and they would have Bruce back, why would they want to spend time with him so soon after being under his care? Plus, he'd taken a break from the team so they wouldn't expect him to be around. It would have been easy.

"Of course we would notice your disappearance. Besides you were a great guardian, you took care of us and loved us." Steph announced while Cass and Tim nodded. The three looked at Damian until the younger boy nodded and mumbled a 'it wasn't the worst' which was glowing praise in the boy's own way. "You're a great brother as well Dick, don't doubt yourself, we'll always notice."

The questions continued afterwards but answers came easier with the worst done. He stayed the rest of the day and even got them all to have a movie night with him, an event that normally took about a week of annoying them into it. He smiled as he watched them fall asleep one by one, this was his family and he loved them.

He knew in the morning he would have to leave and face the teams but for now he was warm and happy. One set of explanations completed.

* * *

The next morning came too soon in Dick's mind. He left with plans to head back to Bludhaven to get changed into his Nightwing costume and visit the teams. Starting with Young Justice as some of the old Titans were among them.

He left at the same time as Jason (who apparently had only been staying for a few days as he had grudgingly teamed up to beat a newer villain that was attacking street kids). He'd had to promise to return soon various times under serval degrees of different threat levels ranging from death to pranks to (which he thought was the worst) no more of Alfred's cookies. It was almost achingly familiar.

When he was finally in costume, he made his way to the zeta-beams. It was already late morning as he hadn't exactly been rushing, in fact the opposite was true, he'd been purposely delaying it. Taking a deep breath he stepped into the abandoned phone box and made his way to the Watch Tower. He needed to do this, he told himself on repeat. It didn't help much.

The team (bar Robin and Batgirl) were sparring under the careful watch of the original team when the zeta-beam announced the arrival of Nightwing. Everyone stopped what they were doing out of shock, which led to a few hits on unsuspecting teammates that they hadn't managed to block/stop in time due to their surprise. It had been three months since the disastrous night on the rooftop where Nightwing had almost been killed and then taken by Deathstroke. They hadn't been able to find Nightwing no matter how much they had looked, and after three months of nothing, they hadn't exactly been hopeful.

The younger members paused to look at the original team for permission and they quickly received nods for an answer before the team, both old and new raced to the entrance hall to meet the formerly missing hero. Superboy, Aqualad and Kid Flash exchanged looks and followed the rets of the team at a much slower, controlled pace.

Skidding to a halt in the entrance hall they faced the eldest son of the Bat, who just smiled sadly at the group as he stood in the hall. Mentally Nightwing chuckled, it seemed wherever he went the past few days brought awkward silences. "I came to explain things to you as I thought you deserved some sort of answer." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"You think!?" Lagoon Boy muttered but he didn't seem as angry as usual and offered an uneasy smile at Nightwing. Clearly he'd had time to think and forgive. The betrayal that had clouded his thoughts seemed to have cleared. They'd all had a long discussion as a team and individual therapy sessions with Black Canary which had helped sort their thoughts and feelings out.

Beast Boy surged forward and surprised Nightwing by giving him a suffocating hug. "I'm glad you're back. Slade didn't hurt you did he? If he did then-." The green boy drew back and scanned his friend and older brother figure for injuries. He would never be able to forget the first apprenticeship where Slade had beaten Nightwing, then Robin, back and blue. It was definitely an image and thought that had haunted his nightmares for the past three months.

Nightwing crouched down so he was on the same level as the young hero. "I'm fine, I promise. You know what Slade is like, he's obsessed with me but won't harm me unless in training or I disobey anymore. He hasn't been as hard on me since I grew up, left the Titans and let go of my own obsession. Besides Ravager and Jericho were there to keep him in check." He smiled at the hero before standing up and facing the rest of the team.

"I went with Deathstroke as part of a deal so he would not reveal Aqualad and Artemis's/Tigress's true alliance ,and allow Miss Martian to take his place in the Summit." Nightwing explained matter-of fact, taking a deep breath he waited for the comments.

"We understand, 'Wing. At the time maybe we didn't, but these last three months have given us time to think and talk. We were wrong to blame you for the invasion, you did the best you could, better than many of us could have done." Guardian glanced to his fellow teammates as they nodded, reassuring Nightwing that they agreed with what Guardian was saying.

"Yeah, we know you were dealing with a lot of stuff and we didn't help. Clearly your plan and Impulses' interference meant the future didn't end up like the one Impulse came from. We had no right to treat you like that, we're sorry." Wonder Girl offered a sincere but sheepish smile, as she continued Guardian's explanation. It had been a long but needed three months.

"Thank you." Nightwing was left slightly speechless at his friend's words. He really hadn't been expecting so calm a reaction.

"I think my friend." Aqualad stepped forward from behind the younger heroes smiling. "That maybe your leave of absence is over?" Despite the question, Aqualad's tone made it clear he already knew the answer.

At his nod, Superboy took over "In that case would you like to re-join the team. I'm sure we could all do with a different style of fighting to practise against."

"Of course the only reason you want me back is for my fighting Supes." Nightwing joked chuckling. "I'd love to join but at the minute I have one last group of people that I really think I should visit to explain myself to first."

"If you're going to see the Titans, I'll come. Maybe it will help if you to have some support." Beast Boy shifted into a falcon before flying over and settling on Nightwing's shoulder, turning into a cat and lounging around his neck, purring reassuringly.

"I'm sure I won't need it ,but I always appreciate your support BB. In which case we best be going if I want to see them today." With that he waved goodbye and re-entered the Zeta-tubes. One last group to explain himself too.

* * *

"Why does this feel like it may be the hardest to face?" Nightwing sighed as he stood just outside of the Zeta-tubes in Titans Tower. He'd added the zeta-beam here after going back to Young Justice, to make it easier for them to get around and him to visit if they needed help.

"Because they know about Slade?" Beast Boy, who had changed back into his normal human-ish shape, answered for him.

"I wasn't really looking for an answer but if I was, that would be a good one." Nightwing chuckled at the younger boy. He'd missed spending time with him.

"Well, well look who it is. Finally care to come explain yourself?" Cyborg had snuck up in front of the pair with Starfire and Raven at his side. They'd heard the zeta-beam activate and some to see the pair. Sheepishly Nightwing smiled at the three, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Hi guys, em yeah. I thought you deserved to know about what happened three months ago."

"Come on then. If we're going to have this conversation we may as well be comfortable." Raven sighed and the five old teammates and friends settled in the main room, lounging around in the chairs.

"Well, it started-." And for the fourth time in a week Nightwing poured out his heart to his old teammates and dear friends. He retold them everything from the start of the invasion to their last meeting before the disaster with Slade/Deathstroke.

The explanation and following questions lasted the rest of the afternoon. With a final goodbye and promise to visit and stay in communication Nightwing took Beast Boy back to the Watch Tower before returning to Bludhaven for patrol.

He revelled in the cool air of the late night, the moon shining past the dark clouds and fog. He flipped between buildings in search of criminals, enjoying the feeling of running free. The day had certainly been difficult but he had needed to clear the air. He was glad he hadn't been killed (which may seem extreme but you never know with his family) and finally explained himself. Though he hadn't explained everything to anyone. He'd left out some parts, things he wasn't ready to tell anyone. Some things were better of as secrets.

He hadn't told any of them about Blockbuster or. . . Tarantula. Squeezing his eyes shut he took a deep breath and paused on a rooftop. He couldn't deal with what had happened, just like he couldn't tell anyone. They may have forgiven him for this but they wouldn't for that. He had yet to forgive himself. No, they couldn't know. And he really needed to forget Tarantula and what she had done.

He forced himself to move on to better thoughts, memories of the old days with the team and even before with the League. Days where he had less responsibilities and duties weighing him down, when he could be a kid and play around. The old days full of pranks. Oh, and the trolling. He hadn't cackled like he used to in so long. He didn't even think Damian had ever heard it. He sighed (wow, he was doing that a lot) he wished he had never had to grow up, though didn't so many?

Grinning as he resumed flipping across the rooftops his thoughts moving back on the past few days, it was good to see them all again and he couldn't wait to fight with the teams again, after all he had a feeling something big was coming. Something they may not be able to beat so easily. For now though he'd enjoy the air and rush of takin down criminals. He flew through the night, free.


	51. Circus: A Full Circle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the last chapter - this is set shortly after Renegade part two.   
> When I say 'young heroes' or 'younger members' I am referring more to the fact they are later additions to the team than their actual ages. The 'older heroes' are the original Team/Titans basically.  
> I may eventually return and add more to this story but for now this is the end.  
> Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed!  
> Please let me know what you think!  
> Robyn

The idea had come to him in the midst of a normal patrol in Bludhaven. He had been flipping across rooftops and just generally enjoying the warm evening air. It had been a quiet night, only a few attempted muggings, but the night was still early. As he moved across buildings, he got a glimpse of large poster. It must have been put up only earlier that day as it didn't show the typical signs of weathering or damage that posters inevitably face. It wasn't its good state that grabbed his attention though but the contents. It shocked him so much that he missed the landing of his last flip and tumbled into a heap on the hard roof.

Groaning, he sat up rubbing his head. He wasn't injured just a bit more bruised than he would like and very thankful no one had been around to see his fall. He moved back to the edge of the roof, overlooking the wall down below where the offending poster was stuck. He glared at the poster, blaming it for his bruised state before reading all the details. That's when the idea struck. Nightwing had been repairing his relationships with both teams and his family but there were still awkward moments and the younger members were still clueless about his real identity. A grin slowly broke across his face, the offending poster had given him a brilliant idea on how to help repair some damaged friendships and give them a reward for all the hard work during the invasion.

He leapt away into the night, full of new energy and ready to take down any criminal who tried to commit a crime tonight. He had a plan and an old family friend to talk too.

The offending poster's contents? Haly's International Travelling Circus was back on tour in North America.

* * *

The team was training in their new headquarters when the zeta-tubes activated. That was normal, however what was not normal was the lack of identifier being called out.

Impulse, who had been sparring with Beast Boy, was the first (and only) to notice and react. He swept Beast Boy's feet from under him (causing him to hit the mat with an audible oomph) and sped off towards the entrance hall before anyone could stop him.

"Seriously Impulse?! What was that for?" Beast Boy whined as he pulled himself off the floor already bemoaning the inevitable bruises. "Where are you going?" He called out only to receive no answer. He did, however, gain the attention of the rest of the team who had been partnered off to spar and were being supervised by the original team. They stopped their own fights and moved over towards Beast Boy.

M'gann was the first to Beast Boy's side, running her eyes over him to check for any injuries as she held his shoulders captive. "You okay Gar? What happened?"

"I'm fine. The zeta-tube went off and Impulse just knocked me to the floor before speeding out of here." Beast Boy explained to the onlookers as he inched towards the door, trying to escape M'gann's grasp.

The older team members looked at each other, having a silent conversation. They had spent so long with the mental link that they often could tell what the others thought even without it. This ability unnerved the younger members at times, after all its always annoying when the adults have a silent conversation in front of you and you have no way to tell what they are saying.

"I guess we follow then." Wally spoke up with a shrug, leading the way out of the training room and towards the entrance hall with the rest of the group following behind. Hushed conversations broke out between members, theories running wild on Impulse's reasonings in the few minutes it took to reach the entrance.

The entrance was nothing grand, it held several zeta-tubes, a computer hub and a couple of chairs but little else. The errant speedster stood in front of the zeta-tubes, something held in his hand with his back to the group. He spun around when he heard the groups arrival, his face scrunched up in confusion.

"Impulse what -?" Wally started to ask before his fellow speedster interrupted him.

"Did you hear the zeta-tube?"

"Of course, didn't mean you needed to knock me to the floor like that." Beast Boy grumbled; arms crossed.

"Sorry BB. But did you hear what was wrong with it?" Impulse winced, feeling a bit guilty for the underhanded hit.

"Stop talking in riddles Impulse, just tell us." Artemis sighed, her patience reaching the end of its limit.

"Sorry. It activated like normal but it didn't call out who entered like it normally does and I thought that was weird so I came to investigate. By the time I got here no one was here but this envelope was on the floor." Impulse explained, waving said envelope around before handing it over to Kaldur who had stepped forward to take it.

"But who can hack the zeta-tubes like that?" Bumblebee asked, only to receive shrugs from some of her teammates and no answer from the rest.

Kaldur opened the envelope apprehensively. He had a suspicion about who it was from, not many people could hack the zeta-tube like that. The rest of the group watched on curious. He pulled out the contents – 19 tickets to Haly's circus in Jump City in a couple of days and a list of names. Kaldur showed them to the older members, the only ones to understand their significance bar Robin and Batgirl. The 19 tickets were enough for all the current members and a few semi-members like Red Arrow and Arsenal to come, which was undoubtedly the plan. This would be interesting.

Over in Jump City, at Titan's Tower a similar envelope was found with the same tickets. Tickets and a list of names identifying the people they were intended for. The original Titans, remainder of Titan's East - Mas y Menos and Aqualad (Garth), and Jinx and Jericho.

Nightwing's plan was falling perfectly into place.

* * *

The day of the circus dawned to reveal a beautiful summer's day. Sun shone down on the circus and laughter rang out through the air. Around the main tent there were games, stalls and performers of all kinds entertaining all the guests. A group of teenagers and young adults strode through the stalls, looking slightly out of sorts compared to the rest of the people surrounding them. The team stopped at a kind of clearing, a quieter space on the edge of the circus grounds, waiting for the rest of the group.

Beast Boy spotted them first, racing off to meet the Titans who had agreed to meet them here once they discovered both groups had received tickets. He greeted them enthusiastically, it had been a while since he had seen them in person. They were a large group altogether – 27 young heroes all dressed in civilian clothes. The younger members were looking around entranced by the surrounding entertainment, eager to explore but knowing they were here for a reason, which did not go unnoticed by the older members.

Aqualad eventually sighed before turning to the younger heroes, "Go and enjoy yourselves, stay safe and in groups of at least two. We will meet you at the main tent in an hour." They didn't need any more encouragement and dispersed into groups, chatting happily, excited for the chance to relax.

Left behind was Kaldur, Conner, Artemis, Wally, M'gann, Roy (Red Arrow) Victor (Cyborg), Raven, Kori (Starfire), Garfield, Barbara and Robin. They were all technically there as their civilian selves but Tim had the signature sunglasses on to both hide his identity from the team (although most of them already knew) and to hide from the paparazzi who would love to get photos of one of Bruce Wayne's kids. Barbara had less of an issue with that as she wasn't directly associated with Bruce Wayne.

Robin, Barbara and Garfield hesitated. They were technically all considered younger members but had a much better understanding of why they were here, plus Gar was a founding member of the Titans. They shared a look before turning to the others. "The tickets were from Nightwing weren't they?" Robin finally broached the topic. Other the past few days there had been plenty of discussion and speculation on the tickets by the younger team members but the older heroes had refused to say a word on them, at least not around the younger heroes.

"We think so, but we don't know why yet. We haven't been able to track him down to talk and he hasn't been answering any messages. I don't suppose you've seen him recently Robin? Barbara?" Artemis asked. It was a fair question, Nightwing was technically his older brother and Barbara was an old friend who practically lived at the Wayne manor half the time, so he was more likely to have seen them recently in theory. Key word being in theory.

"No, he hasn't been at the manor for the past week. The Demon Brat has been grumbling about it and Bats is grumpier than normal. We've seen reports of him in Bludhaven but haven't heard from him for a little while now, not since the tickets arrived." Robin admitted with a shrug.

"We think he has been avoiding us on purpose to avoid questions but Agent A seems to know something yet refuses to tell anyone." Barbara added.

The older heroes shared a look before Conner spoke up this time. "We think it may be an apology for … you know." He cleared his throat, none of them really talked about the Renegade affair. "We think he is trying to get us to relax, give everyone a break after the last year or so."

"You should go enjoy yourselves, enjoy the break from normal life, be actual teenagers." Wally suggested. "We're planning to do the same, it's been a long time since we have been to the circus." That was putting it lightly, the last time they had been at the circus was when they were still a fairly new team, pretending to be the Daring Dangers a family of performers to try and catch a villain in the act. It had been Haly's International Travelling Circus that time as well, so being here was bringing back memories. This time however, they were visitors instead of performers.

Cyborg threw an arm around Gar's shoulder. "Want to come with us and we can catch up a bit?" Gar grinned in answer as they wandered off with the rest of the remaining Titans. Barbara followed them with a shrug, moving to talk to Raven while she looked for some of the other members of the team.

Tim hesitated a bit longer. Looking at the members of the original Young Justice. "You know the significance of this circus, right?"

Wally grinned but it had a sad edge. "Yes, we know about Dick's history with Haly's circus. Kind of surprised you know the name of the circus though; he doesn't normally talk about it."

"I was here the night of the accident. I was a little kid and my family got a photo with the Graysons shortly before everything. It's not exactly something you forget and it helped me figure out their identities and eventually become Robin." Tim admitted looking around at all the giggling children and happy families. It was weird to think that he used to be one of them.

"Don't worry Tim, we'll keep an eye out for any trouble. Go enjoy yourself, you deserve a break." M'gann smiled at the young boy who nodded in response before turning around to stroll back into the chaos to find his friends and teammates.

The young adults huddled closer together. "Are we sure everything will be okay? Dick wasn't exactly in a good mental state the last time we were here or even now." Wally worried, his leg bouncing and hands fidgeting.

Artemis grabbed his hand. "Everything will be fine. We don't even know if he is going to show. It could be just what we said; a chance to relax." She looked around at the group and then scanned the surroundings. They had all been scanning the crowd since they entered trying to find any signs of Nightwing with no results.

"Come on, let's take our own advice and enjoy ourselves. If Dick is going to show it will be at the main event." With that the group dispersed into the crowd to enjoy the stalls and entertainment.

* * *

An hour later the group met up outside the main tent. Prizes and food of all kinds in hand, smiles brighter than they had been in weeks. It was a much-needed break from their tense lives, a chance to be the actual teenagers and young adults they were. The older heroes ushered the rest into seats near the front, with a brilliant view of the ring, ready for the show to start.

And what a show it was. Haly acted as the Ringmaster, introducing the acts which ranged from clowns to animal tamers to fire eaters to magicians and strongmen. They entranced the crowd, including the heroes. Despite their whole lives being surrounded in magic and the weirder side of existence, they were still amazed by the performers.

As the afternoon went on the crowd grew more and more excited until it was time for the final act of the show. Haly stood up to the centre mark as the last performers (an amazing group of women performing stunts on the backs of stunning horses) left the ring.

"Well Ladies and Gentlemen, weren't they just amazing?" The crowd went wild and Haly laughed as he waited for them to quieten down. "Thank you, thank you. Now next up we have our brilliant, daring acrobats who fly through the sky. Normally this would be the end of the show but this afternoon, just for you we have a very special treat so don't go anywhere! But first of all, may I introduce our next act - the Stunning Silver Sparrows!"

The spotlights focussed on a pair of performers, dressed up in silver posed on ether side of the tent, high up on platforms and holding onto bars ready to start. While most of the tent watched entranced as they flipped and spun across the tent, doing daring, gravity defying stunts in the air (with a net far below – they always had a net below the high-flying events after the incident) the original members of the team and those in the know shared a glance. They had a sneaking suspicion on what this surprise was but for now they would enjoy the show.

When the acrobats finished with a twirl, they took a bow to thunderous applause before descending down the ladders and exiting the tent as the spotlight once again focussed on the main point of the tent and Haly stepped up. "Now, as promised I present a one of a time treat! A spectacle that may never be seen in public again! I have the greatest honour to introduce you all to Dick Grayson; the last of the amazing Flying Graysons, the only acrobats in the world that can perform a quadruple flip! Join me and put your hands together for Dick Grayson!"

As he finished his announcement, the spotlight moved to focus on Dick high up on a platform holding a bar and waving to the crowd, wearing a bigger version of his old family costume. His eyes focussed on the heroes near the front of the tent and he grinned wider as he saw them, winking before leaping off the platform and starting a brilliant performance. The afternoon's show had been brilliant, full of delight and exciting but the last Flying Grayson's performance was the cherry on the cake – he mesmerised the crowd as he seemed to fly across the tent in a way that the Silver Sparrows (although they had been brilliant) could not. He ended the performance with the famous quadruple flip and posed on the platform. Waving again as he took a deep bow to the deafening applause and exiting the tent as the noise continued.

Haly stepped up for the final time to thank the crowd and then lights returned to normal to allow the people in the tent to disperse outside back into the surrounding stalls. The heroes waited until the tent was empty. While only some of them understood the significance of Dick's performance they all had felt the gravity of the situation and waited in the stands, following the lead of the older heroes who seemed to know what was going on.

Haly strolled over to the group, a smile on his face. He approached Kaldur and offered his hand for a handshake. "It's nice to see you again, as yourselves this time. I never really got to thank you for the last time. Dick's told me about most of you."

Kaldur nodded his head with a smile. "He's told us plenty about you as well. It's a pleasure to meet you again Mr Haly and we appreciate your thanks although it isn't necessary." The rest of the group watched on confused about how they knew each other, not many knew about the Daring Dangers.

"Dick's waiting for you all in the back, I'll take you round. I hope you have enjoyed yourselves though, from the little he's said you sound like you needed a chance to relax." He laughed as he led them towards the back of the tent, away from the crowds. The younger members happily sharing everything they had loved about the day, despite the lingering confusion. Some of them had a small suspicion of why – after all Dick's performance looked vaguely familiar, plus the way the older members were acting.

They passed through the back of the tent and behind the scenes. Performers and acts packed away and cleaned equipment. Animals were being fed and groomed and people were chatting away happily. The target of the group was happily conversing with the Silver Sparrows all three had changed out of their costumes. They spotted the oncoming group and shared a last smile before Dick broke off heading towards them.

"Hey guys." Dick grinned sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "Thanks Haly, you mind if-?" He moved his hands vaguely but didn't finish his sentence.

"Go ahead, Dickie. Just come say goodbye before you leave and remember to visit more! We miss you, kiddo." Haly pulled him into a hug before heading off to talk to some of his performers.

"Why don't we move to a more private spot." Dick led them off towards a small tent further away from the rest of the circus. It was a surprisingly spacious tent, easily fitting the group, and sparsely furnished. Jericho nodded at Dick, knowing full well who he was. The older member of the team and all the others who knew his identity offered him a mix of small encouraging smiles and curious looks. Was he really about to do what they thought he was?

They stood in an awkward silence as the group seemed like they were trying to find something to say. Dick opened his mouth only to close it before starting again "Did you enjoy the show?"

Jamie spoke up. "It was brilliant, I haven't been to the circus in years." He was grinning and about to continue praising the circus but was stopped by Karen who elbowed him in the side. "Can I ask why we're here though and, erm, who are you, I mean like why are we talking to you?" He finished a bit sheepish, voicing the thoughts of many of the group.

"Don't worry Jamie." The boy looked ready to ask how he knew his name but was elbowed again, this time by Barbara, leaving the boy nursing his side and muttering about violent women. "I sent the tickets as I figured you could all enjoy the break and chance to relax after everything. As for why I'm talking to you, well I think Cassie's worked it out."

Cassie had been watching him, eyes narrowed as if trying to connect the dots. As he finished his statement and everyone turned to her, she finally figured it out. The connection with the older members, ability to hack the zeta-tubes, knowledge of them and acrobatic skills all lead to one thing. "You're Nightwing."

Her announcement had a variety of reactions. The rest of the group who hadn't figured it out were looking between the two, analysing the acrobat in front of them trying to connect him to the hero they all knew. The older members nodded confirming her suspicion, not that she even noticed that as Nightwing grinned proudly at her, which was all the confirmation she needed. "I figured it was time you knew; you already know the identities of most of each other plus Bats finally gave me permission. Tim is my little brother and Barbara a family friend we haven't been able to get rid of." Barbara made her way over to Dick and elbowed him in the side as he grinned at her. Tim took off his sunglasses and nodded at the group.

"Wait does that mean Bruce Wayne is Batman?!" Virgil asked, eyes wide, looking like the information was not computing in his head.

Dick grinned. Nodding but not saying a word. Questions exploded from those who didn't already know and Tim made his way to his brother, trying to figure out what he actually wanted to ask. Dick nudged him as the rest of the older team members fielded questions. "You okay Timmy? I know it must bring back memories being here."

"Yeah, this visit was better, no offence. Did Bruce really give you permission?"

"He did, I got Alfred to help me convince him."

"Ah, no wonder you got permission." Dick laughed at Tim's dry tone. "Is this why you were avoiding the manor? The Demon Brat's missed you, he's been worse than ever. Even Jason's been by to ask about you."

Dick sighed. "Mostly. I'm an adult Tim, I have my own life in Bludhaven and I am trying to piece everything back together it's just going to take a bit of time but I'll be okay eventually. I promise to visit more if it makes you feel better."

"I think it does. I'm glad you're getting better." He rolled his eyes as Dick nudged his repeatedly with a smug grin, acting like the big brother he was. He hesitated before adding, "it was good to see you fly again." He left to talk to Barbara, not looking back to see Dick's reaction (a soft smile at the back of his little brother's head).

Dick went back to answering questions and laughing and joking with the group for the next hour. "Come on, I think it's time we all left, it's getting late. I promise to answer anymore questions the next time I'm around."

Kaldur raised an eyebrow at him. "I presume that means you will finally be back around again my friend."

"I promise Kal. I was just a bit nervous about all this and still dealing with some stuff. I'm working towards being better." Dick smiled softly.

Kaldur nodded "We understand, it was good to see you smile again. We will let you say goodbye to Mr Haly, but we will see you soon." With that he led the rest of the group away, back towards Titan Tower where they would take the Zeta-tubes back to base and from there split up back to their homes.

Dick grinned to himself, spending a few minutes alone in the tent to gather his thoughts. He had spent so long worrying about everything but he knew the younger team members deserved to finally know his identity. They could be trusted plus you never know when it may be needed and keeping an identity secret was part of the reason he had been so stressed during the Invasion – he had been juggling far too many hats and it had caused them to collapse.

He had told Tim and Kaldur the truth, he was getting better but he wasn't quite there. He wasn't at peace with Tarantula but he also wasn't ready to speak about anything with her. He was however pulling his life back together and settling into who he was again.

He nodded to himself and took a deep breath before leaving the tent to find Haly. He needed to thank him for giving him this chance. It was nice to be back at the circus, back at his first home. Unlike the last time he was here, he was more at peace with his family's deaths. He would never forget them, but it was time to move forward and embrace the family he had built up. It was time to look towards the future and to hope.


End file.
